![]() Babies also have difficulty developing a sense of balance control while in exersaucers because they can’t see their feet, which is something they need to be able to do when learning how to stand and balance independently.ĭecreased exploration of the environment. Active exploration of the environment allows babies to develop their cognitive and motor skills, especially when trying to obtain objects out of their reach. ![]() This message is non-existent when placed in an exersaucer. ![]() When we lose our balance, these receptors send a message to our brain (which goes back to our body), telling us to adjust our position in order to avoid falling. Our bodies develop a sense of balance through the feedback given to us by receptors in our muscles and joints (called proprioceptors). Poor sense of balance control. Babies who spend time in exersaucers end up in a position where their center of gravity remains forward, thus interfering with their development of balance. ![]() They also cause babies to bear weight on their toes instead of on their whole foot, which is known to contribute to the over-development of calf muscles and, if severe, can lead to toe walking. Exersaucers encourage babies to stand by locking out their knees in order to compensate for weakness because they’re placed in a standing position before they are ready for it. Are you picturing this position? Go back through that first sentence and see if you can put yourself in that position. When babies are placed in exersaucers, they have a tendency to shift into a position that tips their head back too far, their shoulders up too high, their shoulder blades pulled too far back, their hips pulled too far apart by a stiff piece of fabric, and their back too arched as their belly sways forward. So what did they invent? The exersaucer.Īlthough the numbers show exersaucers have certainly served as a safe alternative to baby walkers over the past two decades, their presence in homes across the world have not come without criticism, particularly from the pediatric therapy community. In addition to safety, they also wanted their product to entertain babies while maybe teaching them a developmental skill or two. One particular baby company decided to go ahead and invent a product to be a safer alternative to walkers, and that was how they marketed it. Walkers allowed immobile, ground-level babies to suddently become mobile and upright, which resulted in HUNDREDS OF THOUSANDS of babies becoming injured by doing things like falling down stairs and reaching for hot stoves…a parent’s worst nightmare! Walkers also taught babies how to “walk” by using terrible biomechanics and movement patterns, and walker use actually ended up delaying babies’ abilities to independently walk. The story goes that exersaucers were developed in the 90’s as a response to all the injuries caused by baby walkers. They also give babies a chance to try out new skills and sensations as they swat at toys, turn plastic pages, push buttons to activate lights and music, and rock and bounce themselves in their stationary play structure. They allow us to put our babies down in a place where they won’t roll away or get into mischief so we can take a shower, wash the dishes, change the laundry, or flop onto the couch in exhaustion. I believe it’s important to take a balanced approach to these sorts of issues because, let’s face it, we humans just don’t respond well to ultimatums telling us to “never” or “always” do something.Įxersaucers give parents and caregivers a break, and they’re fun for babies. Many people (particularly pediatric therapists) vehemently oppose their existence while others (exhausted caregivers) praise their invention. If you’ve been around Baby Land long, you probably know exersaucers can be quite the source of controversy.
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