COLUMBUS – Products parents buy for their children’s nurseries are associated with injury more often than you might think, according to a new study from researchers at Nationwide Children’s Hospital.
About every eight minutes in the U.S., a child three years of age or younger is treated in an emergency room for an injury related to some type of nursery product, according to a study from the Center for Injury Research and Policy at Nationwide Children’s and published online Monday by Pediatrics.
As it looked back over 21 years between 1991 and 2011, the study also indicated a troubling trend: The number of injuries are on the rise after declining two decades ago.
During the early years of the study there was a significant decline attributed to a decrease in injuries caused by baby walkers, which were deemed dangerous and purchased by fewer and fewer parents.
In the last eight years of the study, however, the number of nursery product-related injuries steadily increased by 23.7 percent, Dr. Gary Smith, the center’s director and the senior author of the study, said.
The injuries seen most often were associated with baby carriers, cribs or mattresses, and strollers or carriages. The vast majority, 88 percent, occurred at home, 80 percent were due to a fall and the majority of the injuries were to the head, face or neck, said Tracy Mehan, manager of translational research at the Center for Injury Research and Policy.
“For children this young, these can be quite serious. Of particular concern was the increase in the number and rate of concussions in recent years,” Mehan said.
Smith says parents can help prevent injuries by following what he called the “4 R’s”: Do your research, check for recalls, register the product and read the manual.
The 4 R’s
RESEARCH: information from a trusted organization on products that are safe
RECALLS: Search products to see if they have been recalled
REGISTER: The product to be notified of a recall
READ: The manual to learn how the product works and confirm it is the right one for your child
Data for the study came from the National Electronic Injury Surveillance System, which is operated by the U.S. Consumer Product Safety Commission.