The walker and the baby, better to learn with or without it?
The walker is a tool used in many homes to help children walk, does it really fulfill that function?
When a young child begins to walk, among the gadgets that are used to help him balance and gain confidence when walking is the gait or tacatá. This is a kind of frame with a seat in which the baby sits or stands up , touching the ground and with which little by little it begins to move.
There is a great debate as to whether a walker is good for babies. On the one hand, there are the sellers of children’s stores who sell them as if they were something necessary for the development of any baby . This group also includes those parents who do not realize that it is not necessary to use a tacatá for the baby to start walking . On the other side are those experts who have carried out studies on the use of the walker in babies and who exposes a series of arguments why it is not good to use it, giving reasons that have to do with the development of the baby and possible effects on their health .
Index
ADVANTAGES OF USING A WALKER OR PAD
Mainly, the walker has two advantages, but they are not related to the act of learning to walk:
A way to have fun
We will start with the advantages of using tacatá in a baby to help him walk since they are less, since a large majority of experts are against its use. Using a walker can help your baby have fun . You will discover that you can move wherever you want without needing anyone to take you or cost you a lot of effort. This way you will get where you want, you can gossip what you like and, at the same time, have a good time.
Toys at hand
On the other hand, this fun is increased by having a tray full of toys to play with while the tacatá is not being used for its main function . This will keep your baby entertained for a while so your caregiver can rest.
THE DISADVANTAGES OF THE WALKER
These are somewhat more numerous, and they are related to the act of learning to walk alone:
Interferes with motor development
Then come the disadvantages, much broader and more precise to discourage the use of the walker in a baby. In the first place, it should be noted that the baby is surely delayed in motor development. In order, a baby learns to sit first, then to crawl, and finally to walk . If a tacatá is included interrupting this process, the learning will not follow the natural path, which will prevent it from progressing, since you will only learn to walk or sit if you use this device, not by itself.
The child does not adopt a natural posture to walk
On the other hand, the baby will walk in a way that no person adopts when walking. His legs will be bowed due to the separation that forces him to have the seat that the tacatá has. This will cause him to pick up a bad habit that, when push comes to shove, will not give him the necessary stability to stand upright . This can lead to abnormalities in the baby’s legs, especially the knees and feet. It is not only the legs that are affected, but the back also suffers. As we have said before, a baby, until he begins to walk, follows a natural order which makes the different joints gradually strengthen. When parents skip natural progress, the legs are not strong enough to support the weight, which will make it impossible for the baby to walk upright, something that will make the back pain appear.
The risks involved
Another problem with using a walker is the dangers that the baby can run. The walker gives them the freedom to go where they want, which can be counterproductive if they do not have an adult monitoring them at all times. Falls are possible because they have access to dangerous areas such as stairs . On the other hand, freedom of movement can make them reach forbidden points such as access to sharp objects , power outlets … Care must be taken not to leave any dangerous object in sight and, above all, not to lose sight of what you are doing and where you are moving.
WALKER, YES OR NO?
Once the advantages and disadvantages of using a baby walker have been given, no matter how attractive it is to see it in a store for young children, its use is discouraged. Before picking up a baby gadget that can influence its natural motor development, you should learn about its advantages or disadvantages . In the case of tacatás, it is more than evident that it will delay their development, mainly because with the walker they will not learn to walk, but will pick up bad habits that, later when they try to walk without it, they will look more clumsy or have greater difficulties. not to mention the injuries it can cause to the little one.
The walkers were created for those people who, once they have learned to walk, either due to an accident or illness, see how they have trouble walking without help. In this case the effect is totally opposite, since it will be an aid to enable movement, but it will not influence any development , since they already knew how to walk previously.
Dr. Tabriella Perivolaris, Sara's mother and fan of fashion, beauty, motherhood, among others, about the female universe. Since 2018 she has been working as a copywriter, always bringing to her articles a little of her experience and experience as a mother and woman.