- In this video, I'm going
to share four baby toys which can lead to developmental
delays if they're overused. And overused is not as
long as you might think. These toys should only be
used for an absolute maximum of 10 to 15 minutes per day. And on top of developmental delays, they also pose safety risks which is something you
should consider as well when deciding whether or not to use them. The first toy is one that
you might not expect. It is the baby floor seat. Baby floor seats are small devices which support a baby to sit up before they're capable
of sitting independently. And typically, they're used by babies who are around three to six months of age. Baby floor seats are often promoted as a means of teaching a
baby how to actually sit. However, they don't really help babies learn the skill of sitting
nor do they actually speed up that process. When a baby is sitting
in a baby floor seat, they are passively placed
into the sitting position and then essentially
locked into this position. And that's because the equipment itself actually holds them into
this sitting position by providing really firm
support around their hips and their trunk muscle. And this snug fit
eliminates the baby's need to actually turn on their
tummy and back muscles to sit upright, which
actually stops a baby from being able to
build that trunk control and pelvic stability which
is required for them to learn to sit independently. Furthermore, when babies are
placed in baby floor seats, they're unable to move from side to side or backwards and forwards. And this prevents them
from being able to develop that dynamic sitting
balance which is required for a baby to sit up independently. Additionally, baby floor seats
can also potentially increase the risk of a baby
developing hip dysplasia, which is basically hip dislocation or a partial hip dislocation. And this is because when a
baby sits in a baby floor seat, their legs are encouraged to come together and adopt a straight like positions. They go straight in front of their body. Now, this position is
actually a known risk factor for developmental dysplasia of the hip or that hip dislocation. Instead, we want our babies to be adopting a healthy hip position where
their hips come out to the side and their knees are bent
up in an M-like position, which isn't something they can achieve when they're using a baby floor seat. Furthermore, there have also been cases of babies sustaining injuries,
including skull fractures, when they're using baby floor seats. In fact, there have been cases where infants as young
as three months of age have fallen or escaped
from a baby floor seat by arching backwards, leaning
forwards or to the side or actually rocking in that floor seat. Also, the risk of injury is higher once a baby's able to independently sit up and they're still placed
in a baby floor seat as a way to keep them in one spot because these children
are a lot more mobile and they will try and get out
of the seat by simply moving, and that can result in them falling. Now, before we cover the
second toy that places a child at increased risk of injury
and developmental delay, if you haven't already, make sure you click on the
free developmental checklist in the description box below which will give you
invaluable peace of mind as you'll know when to
be expecting milestones and when to be concerned. Now, the second toy is
baby jumpers or bouncers. Now, baby jumpers or bouncers
are designed to allow a baby to bounce by using their
toes to push off the ground. And unfortunately, while
babies tend to find this motion extremely enjoyable, baby
jumpers can negatively affect a baby's development
and place them at risk of sustaining injuries. So firstly, let's talk about
the developmental impact. Babies are often placed in baby jumpers from four months of age and up. Now, generally, until eight
to nine months of age, babies do not have the
strength or muscle control to stand up, let alone
control their body movements when they are bouncing quickly. And because they don't have these skills when using a baby jumper,
babies will lean forward into the slung seat rather
than standing upright. Now, standing upright is
the position we need babies to adopt when they're
learning to stand up and walk. Furthermore, baby jumpers
teach babies to stand up and push up off their tippy toes. And regular use can
actually encourage them to have pointed toes all the time. And this can lead to
shortening of the calf muscle. And in the extreme cases,
can result in babies needing to have serial casting to actually lengthen the
calf muscle or surgery. This learned movement
of being on their toes is actually counterproductive
to the heel strike action that's required for independent
standing and walking and therefore can delay the development of your baby reaching these milestones. Also when a baby is
under six months of age, the hip joint is still developing. And during this stage of hip development, it's really important
that babies are allowed to adopt a healthy hip position, which simply means that
their legs should form an M or frog-like shape. And unfortunately, when babies
are using a baby jumper, their legs are suspended and straight. And this is an unhealthy hip position and it can increase the risk
of abnormal hip development, including hip dysplasia
or hip dislocation. When using baby jumpers, babies have actually sustained
limb and head injuries after falling from these devices, and this was due to lots
of different reasons. It was the door clamps breaking, the laces snapping under tension, the baby was not securely
strapped into the harness in the first place, or
other siblings or pets rushed past the baby when
they're in the baby jumper and accidentally pushed
them into the doorway and this caused an injury. There have also been cases where babies have actually
injured their fingers because they've become trapped
or pinched in the springs and chains of the baby jumper. Now the third toy is an exersaucer. So an exersaucer is a
stationary play center that has a slung seat in
the middle to support a baby while they're either standing or sitting. Now, depending on the
exersaucer being used, the baby's feet may directly
hang and rest on the floor or they might rest on
a saucer-shaped bottom. Exersaucers are marketed as a toy which will help to strengthen
a baby's leg muscle so that they can actually
learn to stand independently. But unfortunately, this isn't true. And this is because babies are
usually placed in exersaucers before they can actually
stand up by themselves. Because once they can stand, you obviously don't need
this piece of equipment. And when babies are placed in exersaucers before they have the strength
to stand independently, instead of standing upright, the baby will actually fall forward and rest their tummy on the
front of the slung seat. Now this results in their
hips tilting forward. And as a result, they need to actually
curve their back backwards to actually place their head
and shoulder behind their hips to then play with those toys. And as their legs are
not yet strong enough to support their body, they
generally lock their knees. Now, this position of locking one's knees and bending forward at the
hip then backwards at the back and shoulders and head is
a total opposite position your baby needs to be in
to stand independently. For a baby to actually
stand up independently, their feet need to essentially
be directly underneath their hip and their hip needs
to be in a neutral position rather than tilting forward. So it needs to be in a neutral position and their shoulders and
heads are generally stacked above their hips. We do not want a child to be
leaning forwards or backwards when they're in standing
because this will just lead them to falling over. So as you can see, the
position a baby adopts when using an exersaucer actually
encourages poor alignment and may result in the baby
developing an abnormal way of moving, which will make it
more difficult for that baby to learn to stand and walk. In addition to potentially
delaying a baby's development, a baby is also at risk of falling out of or climbing out of an exersaucer
and injuring themselves. And the fourth toy is a baby walker. A baby walker is a toy that babies use to move from one place to another before they're able to walk. Baby walkers typically
consist of a circular frame which has a slung seat in the middle which holds the baby in standing and allows their feet or
toes to touch the ground and propel themselves forwards. Now, this might sound great, but baby walkers are simply not safe. Baby walkers allow infants to
move quickly around the house and grab things that are
normally out of reach. An infant in a baby walker can actually move more than three feet or one meter per one second. And due to the sheer speed
infants are able to move, parents are simply unable
to respond quickly enough to actually prevent injuries. In fact, most baby walker injuries happen while adults are watching. The most common injuries babies sustain when using a baby walker
include head and neck injuries, so these include skull fractures,
brain injuries, bruising, cut lip, tooth damage, cut
tongue, or skin abrasions. Children have also
sustained burns and scalds when they've reached for hot
drinks, kettles, heaters, ovens or open fires when they're
in the baby walker. There have also been incidents of choking after a child has been able to reach a toy which they wouldn't
have been able to reach unless they're in the baby walker. Children have also sustained
finger and toe injuries or breaks from when the
baby walker themselves have collapsed. And lastly, there's been
incidents of poisoning when the baby has actually
reached for cleaning or bathroom products or medicine, which they wouldn't have had access to unless they were in that baby walker. In addition to the safety risk associated with using baby walkers, baby walkers can stop a baby from learning the proper
mechanisms for walking. When using baby walkers,
babies sit in the slung seat and move the baby walker,
essentially, by leaning forward and using their toes to
scoot along the floor. Now this position is
actually strengthening the wrong muscles required for walking. To stand and then walk, babies need to learn to
stand upright, not forward, and they need to walk on
their feet, not on their toes. The American Academy of Pediatrics has actually clearly
stated that baby walkers do not promote independent walking and stress that baby walkers can actually delay normal
development and motor control. As baby walkers do not provide babies with any developmental benefits and they actually increase their risk of sustaining quite serious injuries, the American Academy of Pediatrics
has actually recommended the ban of manufacture
and sale of baby walkers, and Canada themselves have
actually gone one step further and actually banned the sale
of baby walkers since 2004. Now, if you do want to buy a toy to help your baby learn to walk, then what you want is
actually a baby push walker. And what you need to do
is watch this video next to find out exactly what
a baby push walker is and how it's very
different to a baby walker, as well as how a baby push walker will help give your
little one the confidence and build their muscle strength
and coordination required to walk. And most importantly, let you figure out which baby push walker is
going to work best for you and your baby.
