Walker, jumper, rocker: why is it not worth it?
When preparing for the arrival of a toddler and completing the layette, we want to provide him with the best. Advertisements for gadgets, toys and articles for babies convince us that they are essential for our child. However, not always more - is better. Especially when it comes to the motor development of a growing little person.
In the selection of accessories and toys for a child, it will be extremely important whether the considered object supports or interferes with development and whether it is adapted to the stage in which the toddler is currently present. Before you decide to buy a jumper, rocker or walker for children, read the article in which we share with you the opinions of specialists about these products.
Accessories and toys and child development
The guidelines of pediatric societies and academies provide us with information on what skills in a given month or period should be achieved by a properly developing child. However, we know that each of us develops at our own unique pace, and the guidelines provided are more time frames or windows of development.
Parents very often (wanting the best for their child) are convinced that the sooner the child achieves a given skill (e.g. starts to sit or walk), the better. In addition, it happens that they subconsciously compare their toddler to his peers, other children from the immediate environment. This is a mistake and often leads to misunderstandings, and the desire to accelerate the appearance of a new skill, for example by using equipment such as a walker or a jumper, often results in difficulties in development.
Baby walker and learning to walk
The physiologically developing toddler has time to master the ability to walk independently until he is 18 months of age. There are children who demonstrate this skill when they are 8 or 10 months old.
It should be remembered that development is not a race, and in addition to quantifying (is the child sitting? Is the child quadruple? Or walking?), The way in which he does it (quality) is also important. Therefore, it is wrong to believe that we often hear from representatives of older generations that The "first step" the baby should take for the symbolic "one year".
A number of skills that occur at earlier stages of development lead to the symbolic first independent step of our child. These include, among others:
- standing up from a kneeling one-legged;
- walking to the side with furniture;
- crouch;
- walking forward with one hand support.
Will the child learn to move faster when placed in a walker?
It has been believed that by placing the child in an upright position and allowing him to move by pushing his feet away from the ground, it facilitates learning to walk. Nothing could be more wrong!
Expert advises
Forced by a stiffened, usually plastic basket, the position of the pelvis prevents the toddler from properly transferring the center of gravity of the body. The child's feet, instead of being fully loaded when the child is in the walker, usually touch the floor only with the front part of the foot, which in turn leads to incorrect loading of the joints of the lower limbs. This way, the toddler learns to walk on the toes, not on the whole feet. It can also result in abnormal distribution of muscle tone in the body and difficulty in maintaining balance.
It is worth noting that thanks to the casing of the walker, the child does not have to pay attention to whether there is an obstacle on its way, because if it does, it will bounce off it painlessly. Therefore, mindfulness is not taught, and thus ensuring its safety and preventing it from falling is only apparent. In a walker, a toddler will not experience the consequences of his careless behavior, e.g. he will not fall on his bottom (falls are also important information for a toddler in motor development!).
Baby walker a opinion specialists
According to the doctors' opinions, the use of a walker in a child who is not yet ready for upright standing, whose trunk muscles are still too weak, causes excessive stress on the spine structures. Will he develop a posture defect in the future because of this? We don't know that, the question is whether we want to risk it and check it on our baby's skin.
A walker for children, in the opinion of physiotherapists, is not a recommended gadget, because it actually makes it difficult and not easier to learn to walk. It may delay the acquisition of this skill and the formation of incorrect movement patterns. Instead of this gadget, it is recommended to provide the child with a space to play, the ability to climb, get up next to the furniture, and walk next to it. When your child is ready for it, they will take their first step on their own.
Czy rockers they are good for a baby?
Parents' opinions on rockers for children are divided. Some people are absolutely against their use, while others believe that rockers are a good place for their children to play or even sleep. The prospect of putting the baby back in the rocker is also tempting, so that, at least for a moment, the parent can have his hands free, prepare a meal, take a shower or drink hot coffee.
Expert advises
In order to acquire control of the head area, as well as other skills (turns, pivots, crawling, all-fours, sitting, walking), an infant needs "training" of the postural muscles. Right after birth, the muscles of the torso are weak. They get stronger over time under the right conditions, exercising against the force of gravity. The position of the baby in the rocker does not allow full freedom of movement, limits the ability to move the head in different directions, and thus the exploration of the environment. The forced position in the lounger is comfortable for the child, he does not have to lift his head, lift the limbs and pelvis (and thus exercise against the force of gravity). With frequent use of the rocker, the muscles become lazy, making it difficult to change position on a flat surface. For this reason, the child, after a long stay in the bouncer, may be reluctant to play on the mat, and even react by crying, as it will be a real challenge for him.
Baby rockers and opinions: for or against?
In addition, the use of a rocker for an infant, by forcing the position of the child's body (and preventing it from changing position), in accordance with the opinions of specialists, negatively affects the formation of a very important ability of a stable support on the forearms. A toddler in a bunk has difficult conditions to consolidate the symmetry of the body and learn to shift the center of gravity or rotate. If the rocker is additionally equipped with the option of making sounds or vibrations, it may lead to overstimulation of the just developing nervous system of our child.
It happens that several-month-old children, to the delight of their guardians, swing in a recliner kicking their legs. This may give the false impression that the child is "exercising" his muscles. Nothing could be more wrong. This movement is very homogeneous, takes place in one plane and has nothing to do with the movement that a toddler needs to spin or quadruple. Therefore, you should limit the use of baby rockers to a minimum and use them only when it is necessary.
The total time that the child stays in the rocker during the day should not exceed 30 minutes and should be balanced by the child's activity on a flat, medium-hard surface (a foam mat will work here). The rocker belts should be fastened each time to prevent the child from falling out of the device.
It is not recommended to use recliners in:
- premature babies;
- children before 3-4 months of age;
- toddlers with positional asymmetry, torticollis, or muscle tone disorders diagnosed by a specialist;
- For safety reasons, the rocker is also not a suitable place for feeding or sleeping a child.
Bujaczek: a gadget for a child or a parent?
Undoubtedly, it cannot be said that rockers are conducive to the psychomotor development of babies. They are designed more for parents (to provide them with a moment of rest) than for children. But use them in moderation and in appropriate situations, while providing the child with training on a flat, medium-hard surface, should not lead to serious negative developmental consequences in children developing properly.
Use common sense and moderation, be careful not to use such a device too long and too often. If in doubt whether the use of such a gadget is contraindicated for your child, it is worth consulting a pediatrician or physiotherapist.
Children's jumpers
A baby around 6 or 7 months of age, supported by the torso by the caregiver, begins to spring up with his legs touching the ground. Usually it is accompanied by the joy and smile of the child - "he likes it!" the parent thinks. So why not go a step further and offer your little one a jumper?
During this period, the baby is usually unable to sit on its own, let alone stand and walk. The jumper seems to be an attractive option because the position of the toddler in it seems to be stable. There is no need to support the child with your hands - thanks to this, the child does not get bored, and the parent can take advantage of the moment for himself.
Expert advises
In proper motor development, the child begins to bounce on its own around the age of 2. It is so for a reason. Only then, the cushioning mechanisms in his body are fully developed, which allows for safe performance of this activity. Offering your child an activity that his body is not ready for can lead to negative consequences.
Children's jumpers a opinion
The opinions of specialists about children's jumpers are quite unambiguous. Their use in infants causes incorrect loading of the baby's feet. Increasing the muscle tone in the calves, with repeated bouncing from the ground, means that we only strengthen some muscle groups. This can make it difficult to load the feet completely in the later stages of development and cause overloading of the forming hip joints.
Before we buy a jumper for a child, it is worth getting acquainted with the opinions of doctors and thinking about how it affects the sense of sight and balance of our toddler. Eyesight fixation can be quite a challenge for a toddler jumping in a jumper, and the vestibular system receives much more stimuli during such activity than the little human's brain is able to process at this stage.