Study: Infant Walkers Pose Safety Hazard

from CBS Report

While some parents may think infant walkers are a way to give young children more independence, pediatricians are once again warning the public that they are a safety hazard. 

A new study, published online Monday in the journal Pediatrics, found that more than 230,000 children age 15 months or younger were treated in hospital emergency departments in the United States for infant walker-related injuries from 1990 through 2014.

"Baby walkers give quick mobility — up to 4 feet per second — to young children before they are developmentally ready. Children at this age are curious, but do not recognize danger," senior study author Dr. Gary Smith, director of the Center for Injury Research and Policy at Nationwide Children's Hospital, told CBS News. "It only takes a young sibling to leave the door to the basement stairs open briefly for an injury to occur. A child in a baby walker would be across the room and down the stairs before the parent could respond."

The majority of injuries in the study, about 91 percent, were to the head or neck. About 30 percent of the injuries were concussions or skull fractures. 

Almost three-quarters of the injuries were caused by children in walkers falling down the stairs. Other common problems included falls out of the baby walker, and injuries that occurred because the walker gave the child access to something they wouldn't normally be able to reach, such as burns from touching a hot appliance. 

The American Academy of Pediatrics has spoken out against the use of infant walkers for decades and has called for a ban on their manufacture, sale, and importation in the United States, but they continue to be sold by many major retailers.Smith says parents often seem shocked by how quickly a child in a walker can get into a dangerous situation.

The report recommends parents not buy a baby walker for their child, and if they have one they should remove the wheels and dispose of it.