Analysis of the Influence of Walker and Playpen Use During Infancy on the Acquisition of Crawling and Independent Walking. Retrospective Analytical Study

Introduction: The primary objective of this study was to determine whether the use of baby walkers and playpens influences the acquisition of crawling and independent walking in infants. Method: A retrospective cross-sectional analytical study was conducted using a parent-reported survey. Twelve variables related to personal history, motor development, and family history were analyzed. Descriptive statistics were applied along with chi-square tests for categorical variables and independent sample t-tests for continuous variables. Results: The study included 649 schoolchildren aged 3 to 12 years from the province of Alicante, Spain. No statistically significant differences were found between children who used baby walkers or playpens and those who did not, in relation to the timing of crawling or independent walking. Conclusions: Our findings indicate that the use of walkers or playpens during infancy does not have a statistically significant impact on the acquisition of crawling or independent walking. However, a non-significant trend was observed: children who used walkers tended to begin crawling and walking later than those who did not. Likewise, a higher proportion of children who did not use playpens had crawled, although this difference was also not statistically significant. Further research is needed to draw definitive conclusions on this topic.