Walkers are devices that use a wheeled frame and suspended seat to allow babies to propel themselves using their feet. There are lots of reasons to avoid them. The American Academy of Pediatrics (AAP) strongly discourages the use of walkers because of the risk of serious injuries.

Why you should avoid walkers:

• Nearly 15,000 injuries are treated in emergency rooms every year as a result of walkers. More than 35 children have died since 1973 because of baby walkers.
• Babies in walkers can fall over objects and can roll into hot stoves, pools, and heaters; the most severe injuries occur when infants roll down stairs in their walkers and strike their heads at the bottom.
• Gates at the top of stairs do not prevent falls and even the best adult supervision doesn't guarantee that these falls won't happen.
• Research shows that walkers do not provide any advantage to a child's development. Walkers do not teach infants to walk or enable them to walk sooner than they would without one. Walkers may also deny infants the necessary opportunities for pulling up, creeping, and crawling.

Reviewed by: Kate M. Cronan, MD
Date reviewed: November 2007