What toys should I avoid?

Some toys are better than others. Here's a quick list:

1. Baby Walker

It's a little swing seat that you put the baby in. There's a tray in front and it's on wheels so they can go around the house as if they're walking. A few reasons I don't like a baby walker: number one is just safety. The American Academy of Pediatrics does not recommend using a baby walker. They're illegal in a lot of countries because of the risk involved with them. I think it's something like 50% of kids that are in a baby walker end up having some injury. Of those injuries, the most severe and the most common is the baby falling out of their walker, like tipping it over and hitting their head or it falling over down the stairs. The injuries from that is a concussion or a skull fracture. That's not really something you want to give to your six month old. One of the other big reasons from a physical developmental standpoint is because the babies aren't meant to be standing and putting weight through their legs consistently until about seven months old. A lot of times people will put them in activity centers even or the walker before they're physically ready to do that. We want their hip to form into the socket instead of the socket. If our socket forms incorrectly, then it's more likely to slip out of place. But I'll stop ranting about baby walkers.

2. Baby Jumpers

You can see these either hanging from a doorframe and they sit in it to jump, or it's the ones that are suspended on a bungee so they can jump while they're playing.  Again, babies aren't meant to be putting full weight through their legs until they're about seven months old. Anytime before that, it can do damage to that hip joint development. The second reason is because when we are consistently jumping, that is strengthening one portion of the body. Typically, it's the muscles of the back of the body. They're consistently jumping while up on their tippie toe. We want to strengthen the backside (posterior) and the frontside (anterior) muscles, so that we don't get any weird muscle asymmetries. 

3. iPad Holders

I know I saw a Fisher Price one, brand has them. This toy is a baby swing with an arm that goes over it, or they have a play mat with an arm that goes over it. That arm has an attachment for your iPad to go in. There's a lot of research about limiting screen time for your kids- if they're young enough to need to stay in a baby swing or a play mat, they don't need a screen a foot away from their face to entertain them.