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Redesign and ergonomic assessment of a chest-support baby walker
Hamedeh Golmohammadpour1, Ehsan Garosi2, Mostafa Taheri3
1Department of Industrial and System Engineering, The State University of New York at Buffalo, Getzville, NY, USA.
Insights
A redesigned baby walker with chest support (RBW) demonstrated improved infant walking patterns and reduced maternal lower back strain compared to conventional baby walkers (CBW). This innovative design offers a safer and more ergonomic option for infant mobility development.
Area of Science:
- Pediatric biomechanics
- Ergonomics
- Infant motor development
Background:
- Conventional baby walkers (CBW) are commonly used to aid infant mobility but may lead to delayed walking and parental musculoskeletal issues.
- Existing literature highlights potential drawbacks of traditional baby walkers.
Purpose of the Study:
- To ergonomically assess a redesigned baby walker (RBW) with chest support during infant walking tasks.
- To evaluate the impact of the RBW on infant gait patterns and maternal physical load.
Main Methods:
- Anthropometric measurements of 90 infants (7-11 months) were taken.
- 18 mothers and infants participated in simulated walking tasks using both CBW and RBW.
- Infant gait (steps, distances) and maternal posture/spinal load (RULA, 3DSSPP) were analyzed.
Main Results:
- Infants using the RBW took more balanced steps and exhibited significantly different step distances.
- Maternal posture improved, with a reduced RULA score (7 to 5).
- Maternal lower back compression and shear forces were significantly reduced with RBW use.
Conclusions:
- The redesigned baby walker (RBW) promotes more balanced infant steps.
- Mothers experienced less lumbar pressure when handling infants in the RBW.
- Further research is needed to explore the long-term effects of RBW use.
Background:
Parents often use baby walkers (BWs) as assistive devices to improve their infants' independent movement and motor skill acquisition. However, the literature suggests that conventional baby walkers (CBW) may cause delays in an infant's ability to walk independently and musculoskeletal burden on parents.
Objective:
In the current study, a baby walker (RBW) with chest support was redesigned and ergonomically assessed during an infant-walking task.
Methods:
The anthropometric dimensions of 90 infants aged 7-11 months were measured in the city of Urmia, northwestern Iran. Following redesigning based on the results from expert panel meetings and prototyping of the RBW, 18 mothers (age: 28.33±4.27 and height: 163.75±5.32 and weight: 59.45±5.99) with their infants (9 boys and 9 girls) performed a simulated infant walking task in two experimental sessions using the CBW and RBW over a repeated measurements design. The infants' feet track patterns, including the number of steps and step distances were assessed via the image analysis of the footprints. The mothers' body posture and lower back spinal load were evaluated using Rapid Upper Limb Assessment (RULA) technique and 3D Static Strength Prediction Program (3DSSPP), respectively.
Results:
Wilcoxon signed-rank tests showed infants walked more steps with the RBW (p = 0.002). Similarly, the distance between the infants' left heel strike (p = 0.008) and their right and left toe-off (p = 0.03 and 0.02 respectively) was also significantly lower in the RBW use. Additionally, the body posture of mothers was improved (RULA final score from 7 for CBW to 5 for RBW). Moreover, lower back compression and shear forces were reduced significantly (p = 0.002) by the RBW use.
Conclusion:
According to the feet track pattern, infants took more balanced steps when the RBW was used. In addition, mothers were subjected to less pressure on the lumbar region when they placed and lifted their infant from the RBW. However, further work is necessary to investigate potential long-term effects of the RBWs use.
