The effects of babywalkers on early locomotor development.

The mothers of 66 infants were interviewed to obtain information on their children's motor development. The children were divided into three groups according to the length of time they spent in a babywalker. There was no difference between the groups in age at onset of sitting or walking, but children in the high-user group showed a significant delay in onset of prone locomotion compared with the low-user and non-user groups. This suggests that for some infants the excessive use of babywalkers alters the pathway of normal locomotor development.