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25 Sep

Baby walker – underestimated danger and the better alternative

Baby walkers are popular gifts and are often bought for babies by grandpa, grandma or other relatives to make walking quick and easy. But this is precisely where the problem lies. These baby walkers are not only completely unsuitable and delay learning to walk, they are even dangerous!
In fact, baby walkers delay what they are made for: Learning to walk.
In Canada, such baby walkers are completely banned. Even at the flea market, reselling is prohibited and even punishable by law. In Germany, too, more and more pediatricians are warning against the purchase of such baby walkers. In fact, baby walkers delay what they are made for: Learning to walk. The child learns later than other children to keep its balance when standing and walking, because it is sitting in it and not standing. Tests on twins have proven this!

Baby walker – Unsuitable for learning to walk

Lauflernwagen

Good alternative – Learning trolley

90% of accidents with baby walkers are head injuries

People also underestimate the speed at which the little ones dash around. They can bump into edges, fall down the stairs or trip over objects. With the baby walkers, little ones can reach things they shouldn’t be able to. Think of pots or hot teacups that they could pull off the stove or tables. A case from 2011 shows that these risks are not far-fetched. A seven-month-old child almost drowned because of a baby walker. It bent down in front of a bucket of water and dipped its head in it. As the child’s legs were spread apart due to the baby walker and were therefore too far apart, the child was unable to free himself from this dangerous position and almost drowned. It suffered irreversible brain damage due to the lack of oxygen. Figures from 9 European countries show that 90% of accidents involving baby walkers are head injuries. 31% of these are even injuries with brain damage. It is estimated that every year 6000 children in Germany injure themselves with baby walkers. Liliplay has therefore decided not to offer such baby walkers. According to Stiftung Warentest, good alternatives are the so-called Learning trolleys, which babies and children can hold on to and not sit in. They strengthen the muscles and have additional entertainment value in the form of songs, sounds etc. There are also models without wheels on which the little ones can pull themselves up and learn to stand without losing speed. Sources: Baby walkers: Superfluous, dangerous – but still not banned | Stiftung Warentest Baby walkers: are they useful or harmful? (familie.de)

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