COLUMBUS, Ohio – Parents have a lot more to worry about this Christmas time than a child shooting out their eye with a new Red Ryder BB gun they found under the tree.
Researchers at Nationwide Children’s Hospital say a child is brought to an emergency room about once every three minutes with a toy-related injury.
The study by the Center for Injury Research and Policy found that the rate of injury rose almost 40 percent between 1990 and 2011 and they blame scooters that became popular around 2000. By 2011 they estimate 580,037 children were brought to ERs with injuries resulting from the scooters, or about 1 every 11 minutes.
Slightly more than half of the nearly 3.3 million injuries reported from 1990 2011 happened to children under five, but injuries involving riding toys — scooters, wagons, and tricycles — increase as the children get older.
The study, published online in Clinical Pediatrics, found that riding toys were associated with 42 percent of injuries to children between five to 17 years of age and 28 percent of injuries to children under five. Injuries with ride-on toys were three times more likely to involve a broken bone or a dislocation.
Falls accounted for 46 percent of the injuries from all types of toys combined and collisions another 22 percent.
During the study period, there were more than 109,000 cases of children younger than five swallowing or inhaling foreign bodies, the equivalent of almost 14 cases per day.
The researchers say parents should follow these safety tips:
Follow age restrictions and other manufacturer guidelines
Examine toys for small parts that could be choking hazards
Use riding toys on dry, flat surfaces away from vehicle traffic
Closely supervise any child who is younger than eight years of age on a riding toy
Wear helmets, knee pads, and elbow pads on scooters and other riding toys with wheels.
Check Recalls.gov to see if toys that you own or may buy have been recalled.