Why walkers are bad for babies

My mom wants to buy me a baby walker, like I had when I was little. But I'm worried about the safety of these devices. Are walkers a hazard or am I just being a paranoid first-time mom? Sounds like your mother's intuition has already kicked in. Walkers — devices with wheeled frames and suspended seats that let babies move around using their feet — are indeed a safety hazard. Are baby walkers safe? Continue Reading Below. Read This Next.

View Sources. Crawling, Cruising, and Walking , March First Year Groups. Go to Your Baby's Age. Cleveland Clinic is a non-profit academic medical center. Advertising on our site helps support our mission. We do not endorse non-Cleveland Clinic products or services. A recent study shows that even after new safety standards were issued in , infant walkers are still associated with thousands of injuries to children each year. The study shows that while injuries have decreased in the last 10 years, infant walkers are still responsible for many injuries to the head and neck — including skull fractures.

Infant walkers, designed for use by children between the ages of five to 15 months, are circular, wheeled devices with a suspended seat in the center for your baby to sit in.

And while these devices used to be must-haves for parents helping their babies learn how to walk, they have become serious safety hazards and should be avoided at all costs. Are baby walkers safe? Answer From Jay L. With Jay L. Thank you for Subscribing Our Housecall e-newsletter will keep you up-to-date on the latest health information. Please try again. Something went wrong on our side, please try again. Show references Shelov SP, et al. Age eight months through twelve months.

New York, N. Ramdzan SN, et al. Unintentional injury and its prevention in infant: Knowledge and self-reported practices of main caregivers. BMC Pediatrics. Safety standards for infant walkers: Final rule.