Millions of parents have and have used baby walkers to teach their little ones to walk for years, but many might be surprised to learn that they are considered dangerous.

The toy, which helps babies take their first steps and develop other motor skills, has long been declared dangerous by experts at the American Academy of Pediatrics (AAP). Their sale has also been banned in Canada for two decades.

Today, Consumer Reports joined the growing calls to ban infant walkers nationwide.

The consumer advocacy group said that despite federal safety standards that have slowed accidents, these products injure thousands of babies each year.

In 2018, the American Academy of Pediatrics (AAP) released a study revealing that 230,676 children were treated in emergency rooms in the United States between 1990 and 2014 for injuries caused by walkers.

Injuries declined in 2010 when stricter safety standards for walkers were implemented by federal authorities.

Federal rules require baby walkers to have four features: stair fall prevention, tip-over resistance, occupant retention, and dynamic and static load testing on the seating area.

However, Consumer Reports said the rules don’t go far enough — and the AAP still recommends against using baby walkers.

“The evidence is clear: baby walkers are not safe and the current federal standard fails to address well-known risks,” Oriene Shin, CR policy advisor, said in a statement.

“Thousands of babies continue to be harmed by these products every year, and parents deserve better choices when it comes to products that support their baby’s development. Congress should ban infant walkers and help parents keep their babies safe as they grow and learn to walk.

The call for a ban comes twenty years after Canada implemented a law banning the sale and importation of these walkers, after investigating pediatric injuries caused by falls by infants using the product.

Shin noted that there have been countless recalls of walkers, but many consumers buy them used or through a third party, such as Facebook Marketplace, and these walkers often do not meet current standards .

“Parents and guardians have countless options online and need to be able to trust that any baby product they purchase will be safe,” Shin noted. “Consumers encountering unsafe products like old infant walkers that do not meet current U.S. standards and are banned elsewhere should be a rare exception – not the norm. Platforms should take their responsibility much more seriously to prevent the publication of dangerous baby products and respond quickly when they become aware of a danger.

Maral Amani, pediatric physiotherapist and child development expert at Lovevery, told CR that there are many reasons why parents should not use infant walkers, with many explaining why babies who use these products walk more slowly and had their bodies “placed in positions that were not conducive to natural walking patterns.”

For example, Amani noted that babies who use them don’t learn to support their body weight to stand or walk outside of the walker; they lean forward on their tiptoes rather than moving their weight on flat feet, and walkers allow for all types of walking and limit natural oscillation.

“Walking is not just about leg strength; it’s about the slow building of fundamental skills like navigating surfaces, standing up, squatting, crawling, and strengthening the core that comes from all of these movements,” Amani noted. “That’s why a large baby gate/playpen that allows your child to explore safely is the best tool you can have to support your child’s early mobility.”

Without a ban, Consumer Reports advises parents and caregivers not to purchase or use seated baby walkers. Instead, they suggest parents look for alternatives, such as activity centers or strollers and toys, to keep babies entertained and safe.