Baby Walkers - Are they safe?

Are baby walkers fun? Sure.

Are they dangerous? You bet.

In addition to falls down stairs and falls out of their walker, many infants are injured each year as their mobile baby walker makes them a little too mobile and able to get to things that would otherwise be out of reach. This may allow them to reach countertops and get burned or poisoned by things they pull down, drown by falling into a pool, bathtub, or toilet, or simply hurting their fingers and toes if they get pinched.

Background

The number of injuries from baby walkers recently led the Canadian government to ban the 'sale, advertisement and importation of baby walkers in Canada.' Although they haven't been successful, the American Academy of Pediatrics is urging the US government to do the same. Instead, the Consumer Product Safety Commision has been promoting new safety standards for baby walkers that can lead to fewer injuries, especially from falls.

Pros

Baby walkers are fun and can keep your infant entertained.

Cons

The arguments against baby walkers all involve their safety:

• more than 14,000 children under age 15 months have to go to the emergency room because of injuries related to using a baby walker each year


• 34 children have died from using a baby walker since 1973


• even with new voluntary safety standards, children continue to be injured using baby walkers, even when they are supervised

And unlike what many parents believe, using a mobile baby walker won't help your baby learn to walk any faster.

Where it Stands

New walkers that meet the voluntary Juvenile Products Manufacturers Association (JPMA) standards, including being too wide to fit through a standard doorway, or having features, such as a gripping mechanism, to stop the walker at the edge of a step, are safer than older ones, but they are still a possible source of injuries for children. Parents should also be aware that stationary activity centers are a good alternative to mobile walkers.

If using a mobile walker, parents should follow the Consumer Product Safety Recommendations and:

• close the door or gate at the top of the stairs


• keep children within view


• keep children away from hot surfaces and containers


• beware of dangling appliance cords


• keep children away from toilets, swimming pools and other sources of water

Since 75 percent of injuries are related to falls down stairs, in addition to the above recommendations, don't use a baby walker near stairs, even if you have a gate on the stairs.

Dr. I's Opinion

I usually agree with the recommendations of the American Academy of Pediatrics, but I'm a little torn about this one. My twins used, enjoyed, and were never hurt in their mobile baby walkers. In their vote on whether or not to ban baby walkers, the CPSC stated that only one third of injuries were 'more severe' than simple mild injuries and that was 'similar to that of other commonly used juvenile products, such as cribs, playpens, high chairs, and changing tables.'

Now I am all for a ban if it will really make a difference and I hope the CPSC revisits the issue and reports on whether or not recent baby walker design changes have made them safer or not and what effect a ban would have.

Or can other changes be made so that they are even safer? Maybe something can be done to slow them down or more of a guard can be made around them so infants can't reach things easily...

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