The Number of Small Kids Hurt by Cribs, Strollers, Carriers and Walkers Is on the Rise, Study Finds

As a new parent, you only want the best for your baby — and you’ve likely chosen every last product from the crib to the stroller and baby carrier with love. But a new study suggests it may be worth taking extra precautions to protect little ones against injuries caused by these common nursery items, which appear to be on the rise.

What the study looked at

The study, published in the April issue of the journal Pediatrics, looked at injuries linked to common baby products including cribs/mattresses, strollers, carriers and walkers/exercisers. Researchers from the Center for Injury Research and Policy at Nationwide Children's Hospital analyzed 48,653 baby product-related injuries between 1991 through 2011. The injuries were listed on the National Electronic Injury Surveillance System, a database run by the US Consumer Product Safety Commission (CPSC), which issues product recalls.

Researchers analyzed the reasons for each injury, which included, among others, babies falling spontaneously (i.e., when a baby isn’t buckled in correctly and falls out, or when a baby rolls off of a changing table), babies falling due to a caregiver accident, a malfunctioning product, suffocation and getting trapped in a product. They also looked at the types of products involved in each injury, as well as the type of injury (cuts, bruises, the breathing in or swallowing of a dangerous substance, fractures and concussions).

What the research found

The researchers found that 66,000 American children 3 years old and under are treated in the emergency room every year for an injury related to baby products. That’s about one child injured every eight minutes.

Injuries actually decreased by 33.9 percent between 1991 to 2003, largely thanks to awareness about the dangers of baby walkers. But rates rose again by 23.7 percent for the remaining eight years of the study.

The vast majority of all injuries — 80 percent — were caused by children falling. The majority, or more than a third, of injuries occurred between 6 and 11 months of age. Nearly half involved the head, face or neck — and they most often resulted in concussions. Injuries coincided with where kids were developmentally at each age: Babies under the age of 6 months were more likely to suffocate; babies from age 6 months to 1 year were more likely to fall; and toddlers were more likely to be trapped.

“It’s hard to say how many of these injuries are related to product recalls, because we don’t know exactly what the product brand or model was from this data set,” says Tracey Mehan, researcher with Nationwide Children’s Hospital in Columbus, OH, who worked with the study authors.

The following baby products were most likely to cause injury:

Carriers (19.5 percent): carriers accounted for more than five times as many falls caused by caregivers as any other product
Cribs and mattresses (18.6 percent)
Strollers (16.5 percent)
Walkers/exercisers (16.2 percent)

What this means for you

The researchers think part of the increase in injuries over the last eight years of the study was due to increased diagnosis of concussions, Mehan notes; more people are reporting them because more people are aware of how serious they are. And that’s good news, because it means more kids are getting the care they need.

She also notes that you shouldn’t punish yourself if your child is injured. “Parents often will feel like something is their fault, but it may very well be that a product has or will be recalled,” says Mehan. “The goal of this study is also to make manufacturers think about improved designs to make products safer for our kids.”

Brands have already shown that’s possible, she adds: The decrease in baby walker injuries reported in the initial years was, in part, because manufacturers worked to redesign walkers. Babies used to be able to speed past parents, through doorways and tumble down stairs; now walkers are wider, so they no longer fit through doorways, preventing many injuries (Nationwide and the AAP still do not recommend using baby walkers for safety reasons).

She also notes that since the data were last collected, in 2011, the CPSC instituted the Consumer Product Safety Improvement Act, which mandated safety standards for many infant and toddler products. “We had not yet seen the effect of that by the time the study ended, but the hope is that there have been some improvements in injuries since then,” she says.

Mehan adds that the study findings don’t mean you should throw out the baby tub with the bath water. “We definitely still want parents to use these products. We just want people to be aware these injuries can happen and are happening more often than you think they do, and by taking a few extra steps you can help make sure your child is safer,” she says.

How to keep your baby safe

Experts stress the importance of doing your research before buying and using any products with your baby. They recommend following the “4 Rs”:

Do your research: Before buying a product, check an unbiased source online for safety reviews, including Nationwide Children’s Hospital, the American Academy of Pediatrics and the CPSC. “They really will have newest research and most up to date recommendations to help you make more informed decisions,” says Mehan.
Check for recalls: Before you buy, check that your product hasn’t been recalled on Recalls.gov; while you’re there, sign up to get alerts when products are recalled. Baby products were the most recalled kids’ products in the U.S. from 2009 to 2012, yet 80 percent of them remain in the home, usually because parents don’t even know they’ve been recalled.
Register the product: Although registering products with their manufacturers might seem like a hassle, doing so is how a manufacturer knows you’ve purchased it. It also lets them know how to reach you, so you’ll get an email if the product is ever recalled. Look for a card that comes with the packaging or check the brand’s website. Or go to KidsInDanger.org, a site that lists most children’s product manufacturers and websites where you can go to register your product, even if it’s secondhand.
Read the manual: When you have little ones, you’re tired and it’s not often easy to find the time to read the manual. But taking a few minutes to go through it before using the product helps to ensure that you know how, when and where to use it safely. “Doing so makes a huge difference in avoiding these injuries,” says Mehan.

And if you’re using a secondhand product, be doubly sure to check that it hasn’t been recalled and that no parts are missing and nothing is broken; if it’s a crib, be sure it was made after June 2011 to ensure its safety standards are up-to-date.