Baby Walker - Helping Baby Learn to Walk?

Does a baby walker really helps a baby to walk sooner?

A baby walker is known to many, and it exists as far back as 1870s. It looked like an equipment with a baby sitting within and merely uses his little tiny toes to steer around the floor, with his feet barely touching.

Many parents have used a walker to keep their babies occupied while they carry on doing their chores. To date, this practice prevails, and much believed that their babies would walker sooner or later.

Many babies automatically learn to walk if left on their own, provided if their bodies are ready. Before mastering the technique of walking, babies must first learn to balance on both legs and feet. Of course, their leg muscles must also be able to support the body weight and keep themselves upright.

Walkers are not designed to stimulate and encourage normal walking.

Referring to the above mentioned, a child needs to learn to balance weights over his legs and feet before learning to walk independently. But, when a child is placed in a walker, he almost always learn to walk only with his toes. Walking on toes is not normal and often shortens the Achilles tendon which would mess up the child's balance when he eventually starts to walk.

Besides, actual standing position in a walker does not improve a child's balance. And, teaching the knees to take weight is often disturbed and not developed naturally. Practical observations show that many babies who spend most of their days in a walker struggle to or never crawl. This is especially true if a baby is put in a walker at a very early age. Or spends too much time in a walking ring.


Crawling on the other hand teaches important motor and perceptual skills such as distance, depth... concepts such as in, out, on and under.

Injuries due to Walker

Injuries to your baby's head caused by the walker falling over is probably the single biggest reason to use a baby walker sensibly and under constant supervision.

Should you continue using a walker?

Yes, why not? A child should be limited to spending a relatively short amount of time on a walker. A walker is still a friend especially when parents really have something to do, and keeping a child within a walker would enable them to complete their tasks sooner.