Are Infant Walkers Safe? (for Parents) - Nemours KidsHealth

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Are Infant Walkers Safe? en español: ¿Son seguros los andadores para los bebés? Medically reviewed by: Larissa Hirsch, MDThis link opens in a new tab

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No, infant walkers are a leading cause of injuries in babies, so health and safety experts strongly discourage their use.

What’s the Problem With Infant Walkers?

Infant walkers are devices with wheeled frames and suspended seats that let babies move around using their feet. But walkers aren’t safe to use, even with adults watching closely.

Babies in walkers can move very quickly and are more likely to:

• get injured hitting walls.
• fall over objects, topple the walker, or fall out of it.
• fall down a flight of stairs. In fact, falling down a flight of stairs is one of the most common injuries from walkers. Babies who fall can suffer broken bones and serious head injuries.
• grab dangerous objects that are usually out-of-reach (like hot coffee cups or kitchen knives) or touch stovetops, which can lead to burns and other injuries.
• roll into other dangerous situations where they might burn themselves on a heater or drown in a bathtub.

Research shows that walkers don’t provide any advantage to a child's development and can even delay it when babies are learning to walk on their own.

What Can My Baby Use Instead of a Walker?

To provide a safe play area for your baby, choose a:

• stationary activity center
• playpen
• highchair (keep your baby busy in this safe space by placing a few toys on the tray)

Make sure that each of your child’s caregivers know about the dangers of walkers and how to provide a safe play area.

Medically reviewed by: Larissa Hirsch, MDThis link opens in a new tab Date reviewed: January 2025

More on this topic for:

• Parents

More on this topicFor Parents

• Choosing Safe Baby Products
• Choosing Safe Baby Products: Playpens
• Preventing Injuries From Falling, Climbing, and Grabbing
• Household Safety Checklists
• Choosing Safe Toys
• Childproofing and Preventing Household Accidents
• Choosing Safe Baby Products: Infant Seats & Child Safety Seats

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• Preparing for Parenthood
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