A photograph of a baby using a baby walker from 1905

A baby walker is a device that can be used by infants who cannot walk on their own to move from one place to another. Patents have been issued for baby walkers as early as 1851.^[1] Modern baby walkers have a base made of hard plastic sitting on top of wheels and a suspended fabric seat with two leg holes. A baby walker often has toys attached to the top to entertain the baby. It is designed for a child between 4 and 16 months.

[edit] Controversy

Many parents believe that such walkers teach a child to walk faster, however, studies suggest that it is not true, and they may actually delay walking by two to three weeks.^[2] These devices have also led to many injuries.^[3][4][5][6] In fact, CPSC, American Academy of Pediatrics^[7] and other organizations have issued warnings to discourage parents from using baby walkers.

In Canada, the sale of baby walkers was banned on April 7, 2004.^[8][9][10] Canada is the first country in the world to ban the sale, importation and advertisement of baby walkers. This ban extends to modified and second hand baby walkers, including those sold at garage sales.^[8]

[edit] History

Baby walkers superseded the previous technology, which was leading strings. Before the invention of baby walkers, leading strings (strings or strong ribbons attached to the child's clothes) were used to restrain children in safe areas, such as away from cooking fires, and to reduce the number of times they fell while learning to walk. In this second use, the leading strings were held up by an adult, rather than holding the child's hands over his head, or requiring the adult to stoop.

[edit] References

Wikimedia Commons has media related to: Baby walkers

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