Nursery product-related injuries among kids on the rise, study finds

Columbus, OH – About once every eight minutes, a child 3 or younger is taken to the hospital because of a nursery product-related injury, according to a study from the Center for Injury Research and Policy at Nationwide Children’s Hospital.

Using 1991-2011 data from the National Electronic Injury Surveillance System, researchers found that the number of nursery product-related injuries increased nearly 25 percent in the past eight years of the study period. Injuries were linked most frequently to baby carriers (19.5 percent), cribs or mattresses (18.6 percent), strollers or carriages (16.5 percent), and walkers or baby exercisers (16.2 percent). Nearly 9 out of 10 injuries occurred in the child’s home, and 80 percent were the result of a fall. The most common type of injury was to the child’s head or neck (47.1 percent).

To help prevent nursery product-related injuries, researchers said parents should follow the “4 R's”:

• Do your Research.
• Check for Recalls.
• Register the product.
• Read the manual.

“Many of the injuries associated with nursery products are to the head or face,” Tracy Mehan, manager of translational research at the Center for Injury Research and Policy, said in a press release. “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.”

The study was published online March 13 in the journal Pediatrics.