Walker Wagons

I have loved walker wagons since the first time that I saw them, when I was doing my first round of practicals training to be a Pre-school Mothercraft Nurse. I remember observing an older baby who was already crawling at the time, holding onto the side of the wagon, trying to get up so that he could hold the bar like another child nearby. He tried for a while but was simply not confident enough at the time to stand up on his two feet while holding onto the bar. Instead, the boy just got behind the wagon, grabbed hold of its back and pushed it as he tried to ‘walk’ on his knees. It was like he was crawling semi-upright. During the two weeks that I was there he never progressed beyond this stage but he often came back to it and was happy to keep on practising.

Almost every child that I have looked after from babyhood as a nanny has used a walker wagon. It is a safer option compared to the ‘traditional’ walkers that parents used to strap their children into. The child is able to manage this activity and can let go or keep going as he/she wishes and is therefore able to move onto something else without adults’ intervention. That said, safety in the environment is still very important and supervision is definitely required. This is especially relevant if the child is playing on uneven surfaces and near stairwells without safety gates.

The son of a friend of mine was playing with his walker wagon when Mum stepped into the bedroom to pick up her purse. Suddenly something came crashing down the wooden stairwell. She rushed out to find her child at the edge of the stairs. The noise was made by the walker wagon tumbling down the stairs. Luckily the boy let go of the wagon but my friend was in total shock thinking that her son must have fallen down the stairs with the walker wagon. It could have happened. Now imagine a child strapped into one of those ‘traditional’ walkers. The consequences could have been far worse. My friend and his husband are first time parents and had put off installing safety devices. They bought and installed safety gates that very day and they were thankful their son wasn’t hurt.

Another friend also bought a walker wagon for her daughter. I remember how it was heavier than most that I have seen. She told me the wagon was made by an organization for disabled people. I wish I can remember the details so I can inform everyone reading this blog. Her husband also filled up the wagon with wooden blocks given to the girl for Christmas to add extra weight. This prevented the wagon from tipping over as she learned to pull herself up into a standing position. The weight also made it difficult for the wagon to move too easily. This made it easier for her to control in the beginning. Before the family left Australia, the then toddler, used to place her favourite teddy bears in the wagon to take for a walk.