Baby Walker Use and Its Consequences in a Group of Turkish Children

Abstract

Objective: Although not recommended, nowadays baby walkers (BWs) are commonly used by many parents in the pre-walk period of children. Therefore studies are needed about the use and effects of BWs on child health and development to provide evidence based recommendations to parents. The aim of this study was to determine the frequency of BW-use, and related injuries among baby walker users, to investigate the effect of BW use on gross motor development of children and the relationship between BW use and gait disorders. Material and Method: 193 children aged 8-84 months, born fullterm without any chronic disease who were followed up in Outpatient Clinics of Social Pediatrics of Istanbul Faculty of Medicine, and Marmara University Training and Research Hospitals, and their families were included in the study. Information was gathered during face to face interviews about sociodemographic characteristics of the families, their attidues about plays, and toys, gross motor development of the )