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According to a study published Monday in the journal Pediatrics, between 230 and 6776 children under 15 months were treated for injuries related to baby walkers.
More than 90% of incidents resulted in injuries to the head and neck, and the most common cause of injury – 74.1% – was falling on the stairs. Other causes of injury include falling of the walker and proximity-related injuries, such as a child pulling or touching an object that he / she can reach in the aircraft.
One of the authors of the study, Dr. Gary Smith, said he was interested in wounds related to the walkers since he had started his medical training there is 30 years. As an emergency physician and pediatrician, he treated wounded babies using walkers.
The document states that in 1997, some voluntary safety standards were put in place, such as a requirement that "baby walkers are wider than a standard 36-inch door or have a braking device if one or several wheels fall on the edge of a milestone. "In 2010, the US Consumer Product Safety Commission made these standards mandatory and tighter.
"We have tried to give a summary of what has happened over the last 25 years to this source of injury in young children, particularly the effect of the 2010 change that has transformed safety standards. standard walkers to a mandatory standard, "said Smith, director of the Center for Injury Research and Policy at Nationwide Children's Hospital in Columbus, Ohio.
The last baby walker study was done about 10 years ago, according to Smith, and she wanted to update the literature on the subject in the hope of being able to make recommendations. on the future of baby walkers.
Data from the National Electronic Injury Surveillance System was used to calculate the number of children injured when using a walker over 24 years of age. In the four years following the adoption of safety standards, marchers' injuries decreased by 22.7% over the previous four years, when the standards were voluntary. Although injuries from falls decreased, the study found that other causes of injury increased slightly (2.3%). Smith and his co-authors say the change is partly due to changing security standards, but they can not solely attribute it to that. Other factors, such as the number of walkers in homes and the slow disappearance of older and more dangerous walkers, could also be contributing factors.
Dr. Tiffany Fischman, a California-based pediatrician, also recognizes public awareness of the decline in these injuries. However, she thinks potential buyers should be aware of the risks.
"I think people think they're cute and fun," she said. "And theoretically, anything you can do to keep your child busy while you're trying to get things done is a good thing."
Despite the improvements made since standards became mandatory, Smith and his co-authors continue to see about 2,000 children treated each year in emergency rooms, often for serious injuries such as skull fractures. They support the AAP's position on the walkers.
"Despite the successes we've seen," said Smith, "these are still a serious source of serious injury to children, and they should not be put on the market."
Like Smith and PAA, Fischman believes that devices that do not allow young children to move are safer.
"Why do not we love them? It's because these kids are not yet able to move," she said, "they do not have the judgment to say," Oh , I should not go, I should not approach stairs. "
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