London: Parents, please note! Keeping your toddlers diaper-free can boost their walking ability, a new study has found.
Researchers from New York University observed the gait of 60 toddlers at 13 months and 19 months, while they walked either in nappies or naked.
They found that wearing nappies impeded walking, compared with when the same children were naked, The Times reported.
"As soon as you put your baby in a diaper, it`s going to walk worse. Presumably the reason is the diaper pushes the legs apart," said researcher Dr Karen Adolph.
The researchers could not determine how this translates into subsequent development, if at all.
"The real implications are that very subtle care-giving practices - something we don`t even think about - can have big effects," Adolph said.
However, she would not exactly advise against using nappies.
"We had a lot of children pee on our floor. It was one of our messier studies," she said.
PTI
