Baby Walker: Can I Use it on Carpet?

A baby walker is a great walking aid for children learning to walk. But when the entire house is covered with carpet floor, it is obvious for you as a parent to think my little one can use a baby walker on carpet?

Well, I want to ensure you that the baby can use a walker on the carpet. But all walkers are not compatible with the carpet floor. That’s why you have to choose a walker that rolls nicely on the carpet.

Now, you might be thinking of how do I find the walker that moves well on the carpet? Well, if you are a bit tricky to select the walker for your baby, you can find the best one from the market.

What to Look for when Choosing a Baby Walker for Carpet?

You have to look for some key features in your carpet baby walker, which I’ve described below. If you follow these tips correctly, you will find out the best baby walker for carpet. So, let’s check them out:

The Walker should be Lightweight:

Usually, baby walkers for carpets are lightweight compared to other walkers. It helps children move the walkers with less effort on carpeted areas despite the drag.

Oversized Wheels:

Even more, carpet baby walkers come with large wheels so that they don’t get stuck on mushy obstacles or low pile thick carpet.

Additionally, some walkers come with big-sized rubber lining wheels.

It would be best if you also avoided them despite the oversized wheels. It’s because these wheels are suitable for tiles or hardwood floors for extra grip and to protect the floor from scratches.

If you pick them up for the carpet floor, the little one won’t move it on carpet areas because the rugs have already created significant friction. And these rubber wheels make it next to impossible for the little legs to move the walker.

So, make sure the wheels are plastic made with no rubber-coating.

Additional Toys & Music:

It would be best if you got a walker that comes with a removable play panel. It will keep the baby engaged all the time. Besides, when the little one has enough moving around the house, you can detach the toy bar and encourage the baby for floor time play.

Some walkers come with shape sorters and other learning features like alphabets, numbers, poems, etc. I suggest picking those walkers because they will develop your baby’s motor skills and teach new things.

So, these are the basic things you need in a baby walker for carpet.

If you like to get some ideas about the best baby walkers for carpets, you can follow the link.

When Can I Put My Baby in a Walker?

Baby walkers are designed for babies between the age of 4-16 months. But before putting your baby in a walker, you have to make sure the little one has reached the following milestones:

Able to Hold his Head Up Steadily:

Before putting your baby in a walker, you should check whether the little one can hold his head up quite steadily or not. You can check it by putting your baby on his tummy, known as ‘Tummy time.’

Tummy time is crucial for growing babies. It makes their neck and back muscles stronger and relieves them from gas.

A Good Crawler:

The little one should learn to crawl before learning to walk. So, you shouldn’t introduce your baby to a walker until he is a good crawler.

Sit Without any Support:

The baby should learn to sit without any support. Before that, it is not recommended to give a walker to children. It’s because the little one’s neck and back muscles are still developing.

If you put the baby in the walker before he reaches to ‘sit with no support’ milestone, the little one might get a spine injury. So, make sure he learns how to sit correctly.

Gain Enough Strength to the Legs:

The baby should gain enough strength in his legs to keep his body weight. Otherwise, it’s better to wait to give a walker till he reaches this milestone.

You can observe whether the baby tries to stand in the crib with some support or not. Besides, you can hold the baby in your hands and help him put his legs on the ground. If you see he has good strength in his legs, you can get him a baby walker.

Very Playful and Energetic:

If the little one has full of energy and wants to play around the house, you can get him introduced with a baby walker. But it would be best if you let him play under your supervision.

But you shouldn’t allow the baby to use the walker for extended hours. You can let him play with the walker for a maximum of 15 minutes a day.

Are Walkers Safe for Babies?

Giving a walker to your baby is like giving a Ferrari to a teenager without a license. It is a very controversial toy all over the world. Even some countries like Canada have banned baby walkers.

“It’s because the rate of getting injuries using a baby walker is higher than its benefits. The little one could fall downstairs or reach the places you don’t want him to around your house”, Dr. Ari Brown said.

If you ensure keeping a close eye on your baby when playing with this kind of toy, you can get him a walker to play with for a maximum of 30 minutes a day.

Safety Guidelines for Walkers:

There are some safety guidelines for walkers according to the child care experts which I’ve given below:

• Ensure that the walker you choose is JPMA certified.

• You should always keep a close eye on your baby and be aware the little one could reach the dangerous objects in seconds.

• The playing area should be a flat surface.

• A baby walker should be used only in a ‘child proof’ area. It means you need to make sure the baby can’t reach dangerous objects like knives, electrical cords, fire or stovetops, heaters, cleaning chemicals, pools, or toilets.

• Choose a walker that comes with a braking mechanism and lock wheels feature so that you can prevent it from moving when you want to.

• Don’t use a walker before the baby learns to sit and after learning to walk.

• Don’t allow your baby to play with a walker for longer than 15 minutes a day.

To Wrap Up

Thanks for reading the complete guide about ‘can I use a baby walker on the carpet’. I hope you’ve found this article helpful and informative. To sum up, I just want to mention again that you can use a baby walker on the carpet. But make sure the walker you choose for the carpet floor is lightweight for easy to maneuver and comes with large wheels so that the walker doesn’t get stuck on mushy obstacles.

Do leave your thoughts in the comments. And the type of baby walker you used for your kid!