Is My Child Using Their Push Walker Too Much?

“How do I know if my child is relying on a push walker too much?”

ANSWER- First - just to quickly clarify, push walkers are one your child stands BEHIND and can freely stand up/down to move away from (ie: not one they sit IN that has wheels). I honestly don’t mind push walkers at all, and find they can be really great for some kids for helping them figure out the sequence of stepping and just gain stability in upright exploration.

That being said, some children definitely can get a little bit reliant on them for support, and may be unwilling to explore without them, which is when I usually say to consider just putting it out of sight for a bit! The biggest indicators that a child may be relying on it too much would be a stall in progress of their upright skills and them not being willing to explore upright WITHOUT it or without other supports (like your hands). What I mean about progress in upright skills is that generally speaking, we want to see a child moving “forward” with skills, aka making progress - even if that progress is ‘slow and steady’.

So from pulling to stand, we expect them progressing to cruising with hand support, beginning to explore letting go with one or both hands, etc. If you’re noticing they’ve been a little bit stagnant with those skills moving forward, it would be worth just trialing putting it out of sight and see what happens!

Want more?

For developmental questions, tips and guidance related to milestones about tummy time, rolling & sitting, crawling and walking, check out KC’s developmental Masterclasses linked here.

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KC is a pediatric doctor of physical therapy, wife and mom of three! She has spent her career working with children and young adults of all ability levels, and currently specializes in birth to three years.