The walking ring was once on every parent’s must-have list of baby accessories, but increasingly parents are being advised to avoid it. To add to the confusion, walking rings are still available in all major baby stores and come in a variety of attractive colours with awesome features that seem too good to pass up.
Child experts, however, are unanimous in their stance that walking rings are a no-no. We take a closer look at their reasons.
It hinders muscle development
The biggest issue with the walking ring is that it impedes mobility. Infant muscle development is designed to follow a specific sequence and your baby’s mental development and coordination should parallel this. When a walking ring is introduced a baby becomes mobile before they are mentally ready for this milestone, and their muscles fail to develop in the appropriate way for later mobility.
Your baby is forced to place more weight on their legs than is age-appropriate, and enjoys less floor time exploring the world with their hands – which is very important at this age.
It affects the Achilles tendon
Dr Karin van Niekerk, a paediatrician at Mediclinic in Milnerton, Cape Town, explains that the walking ring can harm an infant’s Achilles tendon (the ligament at the back of the ankle), which shortens with time spent in the ring. “As a result the infant may start tiptoeing instead of walking normally when older,” she says.
It’s dangerous
Dr Van Niekerk warns that the walking ring is also a safety hazard. “Infants can easily fall down steps at a high speed in walking rings. We see a lot of head injuries related to these devices,” she says.
No exceptions
The experts are clear that there are no exceptions regarding walking rings – there are no safe brands and there’s no acceptable time frame for using a walking ring; even limiting its use to a few minutes a day is not advised. “When parents tell me they have just bought a walking ring for their infant I ask them to take the wheels off and use it as a feeding chair only,” says Dr Van Niekerk.
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