The baby gear
new parents
buy and regret

The full narration of the video.

A head-shaping pillow won't round a baby's head, and a baby walker won't teach walking. Yet these are two of new parents' favorite buys. First, good news: a flat spot on a baby's head usually rounds out on its own.

Think of a baby's first year as school: lifting the head, crawling, walking, every class has to be taken in person. A newborn's skull is several soft plates fitted together, and the soft spot on top is called the fontanelle. Soft plates leave room for the brain to grow, but sleeping on the back every day can press a flat patch into the head.

Back-sleeping must stay, since it greatly lowers the risk of sudden infant death. Enter the head-shaping pillow: a dip in the middle that claims to cradle the head round. But the US FDA issued a specific warning: there's no evidence these pillows work, so stop using them.

A young baby can't turn its face away, so something soft over the nose and mouth can cut off air. Crib bumpers and plush toys carry the same risk. A head-shaping pillow is like a paid substitute teacher: it teaches nothing and brings danger into the classroom. The head-shape class is taught by playing on the tummy while awake.

Doctors call it tummy time: an adult watches while the baby lies on a firm mat, a few minutes a day at first, then longer. On the tummy, the back of the head gets a break, and the neck works hard: perfect practice for lifting the head. Once a baby can lift its head and roll over, flat spots usually improve; if the head always turns one way or looks odd, see a doctor.

A few months later, the baby wants to stand and walk, and the walker rolls in. A little seat on wheels: one push and the baby zooms around, looking like it's learning to walk. But walking is really about balance: catching yourself when you tip, getting up after a fall.

The walker takes that class for the baby: the seat holds the body, the frame handles balance, and the legs just push, often on tiptoe. Some studies found that walker babies walk no earlier, and sometimes a bit later. Worse, it's fast. One study combed more than twenty years of US emergency records: about two hundred thirty thousand babies were treated for walker injuries.

Three in four tumbled down stairs, walker and all. A walker can shoot nearly a meter in one second. The American Academy of Pediatrics keeps calling for a ban, and Canada has outlawed their sale since 2004. The real walking teacher is the floor: crawl everywhere, pull up on the sofa, plop down, stand up again.

To keep the baby seated, pick an activity table with no wheels. Head shape comes from tummy time, walking from crawling: a baby's skills come from its own moving. When in doubt, ask your pediatrician. Parents, which 'must-have' ended up gathering dust in your corner?