Canada has banned the use of dangerous baby walkers. Unfortunately, other countries have yet to do the same.

Since 1992, the American Academy of Pediatrics has asked the Consumer Product Safety Commission to do the same. But that request has been denied although the proposed ban is supported by the Consumer Federation of America, the American Medical Association and other concerned groups.

“Opponents of the proposed ban argue that stairs cause most injuries, not the walkers. But since it’s impossible to eliminate stairs, it’s advisable to stop using walkers,” said the editors of Health News.

To appease consumer groups, some manufacturers have redesigned their walkers and have come up with safety features. Still, the fact remains that many walkers are dangerous and pose a threat to your child.

If your child doesn’t have a walker, don’t make the mistake of buying one. If you decide to get one, choose a model that is too wide to fit through doorways and pay close attention to your child. In Consumer Reports’ Guide to Baby Products, Sandy Jones and Werner Freitag offer the following advice:

Remove the walker’s wheels to prevent infants from moving too fast and making them more prone to accidents.

Never leave the child unattended.

Never use walkers near stairs, steps, or thresholds. Check that surfaces are flat and free of objects that may cause tripping-over either indoors or outdoors.

To reduce the chance of the child slipping out of the seat, check that both feet of the child touch the floor, and never carry walkers with the child in it.

To avoid burn injuries, keep the child away from ranges, radiators, space heaters, or fireplaces.

Always use the walker’s restraint system.

Follow the manufacturer’s height, weight or age recommendations and stop using the walker when your child has outgrown it.

Discontinue using the walker should it become damaged or broken.

Most important, keep the child in view while he or she is in the walker.

To stay alert and sharp while watching your child, take Neurovar. For more information on this powerful memory enhancer, go to http://neurovar.com/prod10.aspx.

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Henry testing out his new baby walker

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Sharon Bell -
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Sharon Bell is an avid health and fitness enthusiast and published author. Many of her insightful articles can be found at the premier online news magazine http://www.HealthLinesNews.com.

A baby walker is a very simple device. At it’s simplest, it’s nothing more than a small framework of plastic or metal sitting atop a platform with wheels on the bottom and a cushioned seat in the center. When a baby is placed inside, it helps the child to move around.

The height of the baby walker boom was the mid 1990′s. But they managed to retain their popularity until the abnormally high accident rate of babies that used them became noticeable. They have since regained some of their popularity as the industry responded to their problems by making safer baby walkers.

These devices are controversial and there are people on both sides of the issue. Some believe that baby walkers are very useful in enabling the child to move around and explore on his own before he or she has developed motor skills and coordination. Others believe, however, that the use of a baby walker inhibits the development of those very same motor skills. Still others believe that because of their new found mobility, children are able to get into troubles that they may otherwise have avoided. Troubles such has getting a-hold of potentially harmful utensils on table tops that he would ordinarily not be able to reach.

Some parents believe that a baby walker is a great time saver device as it let’s them go about their own business while their child is pre-occupied in the “mobile playpen”. However, such a belief is a recipe for disaster. If a kid is too young to be able to walk on his own, he is surely too young to be left alone in a baby walker. And hospital statistic bear that out as one of the most common injuries to babies brought in to U.S. emergency rooms are injuries related to the use of a baby walker. In most cases the injury is directly caused by the baby-walker tipping over near stairs or an uneven floor area and injuring himself in the process.

Parents who are determined to use a baby walker for their child should take certain precautions. The first is to never leave their child unattended. The second is to not use the device on a surface that is uneven and that may cause the walker to tip over. Never, never, never allow your child to be near a stairway while in his walker – this is where most injuries occur. Ensure that the walker is well constructed. And lastly, make sure that whatever walker you buy has the latest built in device safety features recommended by the government.

Studies have shown that babies who extensively use these walkers usually learn to walk at a later age than children who are not always in such devices. As a parent, you can mitigate this trend a bit by not using the walker as a crutch or baby sitter. If you feel that you do need to place your child in a baby walker, try to do it for as short of a period as possible so that he does not become dependent on it.

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Always supervise your baby when they’re in a babywalker. They could hurt themselves.

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Jill Viland writes articles on children and child related subjects. For her latest article on baby walkers please visit her web page.

First, consider how you are planning on using the walker. If you plan on putting your baby in it and leaving him/her in there for unattended periods of time, a baby walker may not be the right choice for you. Because of the mobility factor, baby walkers can be dangerous for unsupervised children-accidents like falling down stairs or falling over backwards can happen. If you want something to entertain your child while keeping him/her safe, think about getting a baby bouncer or an entertainment station instead. These are non-mobile and much safer to leave you child in for long periods of time. Though walker safety standards have improved dramatically over the past decade or so, it is still not a completely secure option.

If you do decide to purchase a baby walker, make sure the one you buy is a match for your child’s age, weight, and height. This relates to purchasing baby bouncers and stationary activity centres as well; making sure your child matches the manufacturer’s recommendations will only prevent accidents.

To cut down on the possibility of falling down stairs, find a baby walker whose frame is larger than the doorways in your home. This way, the baby has no possibility of leaving a room, and cannot wander into potentially dangerous hallways.

Also, find a baby walker whose top frame is smaller than the base. This reduces the risk of your baby accidentally overturning in the walker, since it is more balanced and less likely to fall over.

Examine the walker of your choice carefully for any sharp edges, hinges, or small pieces that might potentially cause trouble. Baby proofing your walker (or any other baby equipment, such as baby bouncers) is important; do not assume that just because it was made for babies, its baby proofed.

There are a couple of regulations that any baby walker you buy should meet. Ensure that the walker you are buying meets the Product Safety Standard for Baby Walkers and is accredited by the Juvenile Products Manufacturers’ Association. A little extra guarantee of product quality never hurt anybody!

With these tips in mind, you are now fully equipped to go out and buy your baby a walker. Just remember that walkers are not substitutes for crawling or learning how to walk properly. Though they can be helpful in increasing mobility, you should not put your baby in the walker for indeterminable periods of time. Always, always have your attention on the baby if they are in a walker, as accidents are more prone to happen when babies are up and about.

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DrMDK.com

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John Lewis offers a range of baby products including; baby walker, baby bouncer and rocking horses from leading brand names.

Customers can visit John Lewis for more information.

Because they are dangerous, Canada has banned the use of baby walkers. Since 1992, the American Academy of Pediatrics has asked the U.S. Consumer Product Safety Commission to do the same.

But that request has been denied although the proposed ban is supported by the Consumer Federation of America, the American Medical Association and other concerned groups.

“Opponents of the proposed ban argue that stairs cause most injuries, not the walkers. But since it’s impossible to eliminate stairs, it’s advisable to stop using walkers,” said the editors of Health News.

To appease consumer groups, some manufacturers have redesigned their walkers and have come up with safety features. Still, the fact remains that many walkers are dangerous and pose a threat to your child.

If your child doesn’t have a walker, don’t make the mistake of buying one. If you decide to get one, choose a model that is too wide to fit through doorways and pay close attention to your child.

Sandy Jones and Werner Freitag offier the following advice in “Consumer Reports’ Guide to Baby Products”:

Remove the walker’s wheels to prevent infants from moving too fast and making them more prone to accidents.

Never leave the child unattended.

Never use walkers near stairs, steps, or thresholds. Check that surfaces are flat and free of objects that may cause tripping-over either indoors or outdoors.

To reduce the chance of the child slipping out of the seat, check that both feet of the child touch the floor, and never carry walkers with the child in it.

To avoid burn injuries, keep the child away from ranges, radiators, space heaters, or fireplaces.

Always use the walker’s restraint system.

Follow the manufacturer’s height, weight or age recommendations and stop using the walker when your child has outgrown it.

Discontinue using the walker should it become damaged or broken.

Most important, keep the child in view while he or she is in the walker.

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From “Charley Says” DVD Featuring Murray Walker on Commentary

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Sharon Bell -
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Sharon Bell is an avid health and fitness enthusiast and published author. Many of her insightful articles can be found at the premier online news magazine http://www.HealthLinesNews.com.

What makes mobile walkers dangerous? Experts say their very design helps kids move easily – often much too easily for them to sustain serious injuries.

“About three million baby walkers are sold in the United States each year. They are generally used in the 2- to 4-month period after a child can sit up and before he can walk without assistance. But by giving a child added height, a walker suddenly brings him within reach of hazards such as boiling pots, electric irons and unprotected electrical cords. And kids in walkers travel so fast – three or four feet a second – that even the most attentive parents may not be able to avert disaster,” said Diana Willensky in American Health magazine.

“Babies in walkers plummet downstairs, turn over in walkers that are snagged by cords, door thresholds, and carpet edges, roll themselves against hot wood stoves and heaters, fall over concrete curbs, or tumble into swimming pools. Parents should be particularly wary of old-style x-frame walkers that are still being sold in garage sales. These designs have been responsible for many injuries, including finger amputations when a baby’s hand got caught in the closing x-joint of the frame – such models should be discarded,” added Sandy Jones and Werner Freitag in Consumer Reports’ Guide to Baby Products.

The length of time your baby spends in a walker determines how prone he or she is to accidents. In general, the risk of accidents increases in kids who spend an hour or more a day in them. Most accidents occurred in the early afternoon when only one parent was away.

Parents often purchase a walker in the belief that it will help their child walk sooner. Fifty percent of walker buyers had this impression but the facts say otherwise.

Rather than help your baby walk, walkers may make things difficult for your child. Freitag, who has developed safety standards for baby products for the American Society for Testing and Materials, said walkers may “interfere with needed pulling up, crawling and creeping experiences” of babies.

This was proven by a study that showed that the leg actions of babies who used walkers differed greatly from those who didn’t. In that study, babies who spent a considerable time in walkers had stiff legs and shorter steps. They also leaned forward more than children who learned to walk on their own. In another study involving twins, the baby who didn’t use a walker started walking two weeks earlier than the one who used the device for two hours every day.

“Studies are showing that not only do walkers not help babies to walk sooner, they may even impede the walking development of babies who have motor deficits by teaching them abnormal moving patterns,” Jones and Freitag said.

Are newly designed walkers safe? Find out in the third part of this series. To stay alert and sharp while watching your child, take Neurovar. For more information on this powerful memory enhancer, go to http://neurovar.com/prod10.aspx.

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See this now on Kiddicare.tv kiddicare.tv – We won’t be beaten on price. The DJ baby walker has a height-adjustable frame that follows the child’s growth. It has four wheels, the front of which swivel, and six brakes, technically called “stoppers”, which make the baby walker approved to European regulations and block it in the proximity of steps. It features a dual-use colourful electronic toy, with many lights and fun music, which can be detached from the baby walker and fitted to the bumper bar of the stroller. When closed, it occupies very little space. Features The DJ baby walker has four swivel wheels and a height adjustable frame. It comes with a set of six brakes, technically defined as “stoppers” that prevent the frame from toppling down steps. It has a colourful electronic activity toy which has many lights and cheerful melodies; this can be detached from the baby walker’s activity tray and attached to the bumper bar of a pushchair. It develops baby’s musical skills. Multi-activity toy develops baby’s motor and sensory skills. It occupies very little room once folded. Folds flat for travelling or storing. Dimensions Folded: (D)79 x (W)66 x (H)24 cm Open: (D)79 x (W)66 x (H)47/51 cm Weight 4.5kg Suitable from approx 6 mths – walking unaided or weighing no more than 12 kg

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Sharon Bell -
About the Author:

Sharon Bell is an avid health and fitness enthusiast and published author. Many of her insightful articles can be found at the premier online news magazine http://www.HealthLinesNews.com.