Kylie Jenner’s 8-month-old daughter Stormi is on a roll. The makeup mogul shared an Instagram Story video on Tuesday, October 2, in which the infant is seen cruising around in a pink walker. While the plastic device on wheels seems harmless, the American Academy of Pediatrics states that they can cause severe injuries and may even harm development. Just last month, the AAP announced they are pushing for a ban on baby walkers.
More than 230,000 children younger than 15 months were treated for injuries that occurred while using walkers between 1990 and 2014. The study found that 6,539 of them had skull fractures, and 91 percent were to the head and neck. (Watch the video above to hear board certified pediatrician Dr. Jen Trachtenberg discuss baby walkers.)
“Baby walkers give quick mobility — up to 4 feet per second — to young children before they are developmentally ready. Children at this age are curious, but do not recognize danger,” senior study author Dr. Gary Smith told CBS News in September. “It only takes a young sibling to leave the door to the basement stairs open briefly for an injury to occur.”
There are many safer alternatives. Smith, who is director of the Center for Injury Research and Policy at the Children’s Hospital in Columbus, Ohio, suggested “stationary activity centers that spin, rock and bounce, but do not have wheels.” He also stressed the importance of tummy time, “where a child is placed on their belly on the floor and allowed to learn to gradually push themselves up, and then crawl, and eventually walk.”
Jenner shares Stormi with her rapper boyfriend Travis Scott.
