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Baby Development Questions

Expert Answers About Your Child

By iParenting Staff

New parents are full of questions! Whether it's your first baby or your fourth, parenting an infant is a challenge. Below are expert answers to some frequently asked questions about baby behavior and development.

A: The effect baby walkers have on a child's independent walking development is minimal. It could slow your child's progress by a few weeks, but not by months or years.

The reason I am always reluctant to recommend baby walkers is two-fold. One is substitution of attention. Parents may put a child into a walker to entertain him and then go about their routine without keeping any eye on the child. Supervision is still needed, even though the child is self-entertained in the walker.

Related to the stray of supervision are injuries. Emergency centers and doctor's offices see a large number of injuries resulting from walker crashes, spills and stairway falls.

So would I recommend a baby walker? No. However, if you decide that your child needs a walker, don't worry about its delay in his ability to walk. Just make sure he uses it under close supervision for limited amounts of time to avoid accidents.