Back In MotionHawthorn

Attention all New Parents!

Last week SA Health and Kidsafe launched a campaign to make parents aware of the dangers posed by baby walkers and exercise jumpers. A common misconception is that these devices help children to develop quicker, however they in fact do the opposite and are also associated with a risk of injury. Babies who use baby walkers and baby exercise jumpers often present with associated developmental delays. Australian Physiotherapy Association national president Phil Calvert said that prolonged time in walkers and jumpers teaches babies to stand up on their tip-toes; causing their calf muscles to tighten and affect their ability to walk with some cases even require casting or surgery.  Babies also miss out on valuable floor time when spending too much time in walkers and jumpers, bypassing important development stages such as rolling and crawling.

Kidsafe chief executive Holly Fitzgerald said floor time was “the best thing parents can do to help their baby's development” where they can learn to roll, sit up and crawl. Click here for more information.