07 Dec 3 Reasons Why A Baby Walker Shouldn’t Be On Your Christmas Gift List!
Thinking of getting a baby you know a Baby Walker for Christmas
Or perhaps you have already bought a Baby Walker as a gift 
this Christmas
If you answered yes to the above statements, you need to take a few minutes to read on!
Here are 3 reasons why a Baby Walker is a BAD GIFT IDEA 
1. Studies have shown that Baby Walkers are the Number 1 cause for brain injuries in children under 5 years old. This is because babies 
left in baby walkers often either fall down stairs and injure their heads or reach upwards while in the Baby Walker and pull items off table tops onto their head causing head injuries. 
2. Studies have shown that babies who are placed in Baby Walkers tend to be more delayed in their gross motor skills including walking compared to babies who do not use Baby Walkers! This is because babies who use baby walkers tend to miss out on time spent playing on their tummies learning to roll, sit, crawl, pull to stand and walk! While babies who do not sit in a Baby Walker have more opportunities playing on the floor learning to bend their waist to reach their toes, move from lying on their tummy to sitting up and then crawling on their hands and knees.
These bending movements are essential for many gross motor skill milestones.
3. Babies who spend a lot of time in Baby Walkers tend to learn to tip toe walk as they try to reach the ground to propel themselves forwards or backwards. 
This is because babies naturally love to explore their environment so they learn quickly that if their bounce and swing their legs, they can move the Baby Walker around. Here at My Favourite Physio, our Expert Paediatric Physiotherapists see many toddlers who tip toe walk which causes tight calf muscles, deformities to the foot and ankle bones as well as affects a toddler’s balance and coordination. As a result, we are carrying out serial casting for 6 to 8 weeks to correct their tip toe walking.
So instead of helping babies to learn to walk, Baby Walkers actually cause a delay in baby’s gross motor skills and places baby at risk of head injuries! 