Although strollers and baby carriers are now safer than they've ever been, a study published online today in the journal Academic Pediatrics found both products can still be hazardous for your child if you don’t take the right precautions.
Based on data from the U.S. Consumer Product Safety Commission for 361,000 children 5 and younger, researchers from Nationwide Children's Hospital found that a child is hurt every two minutes by a stroller or carrier on average in the U.S. That amounts to more than 17,000 injuries every year - between a quarter and a third of which result in traumatic brain injuries, like concussions.
The most common causes for injuries included:
- Falling from a stroller or carrier, which accounted for two-thirds of both groups
- A stroller or carrier tipping over, which 15 percent and 30 percent of injuries respectively
The most common injuries were to the head (43 percent of stroller injuries, 61 percent of carrier injuries) and face (31 percent of stroller injuries, 25 percent of carrier injuries). They most often resulted in:
- Soft tissue injuries, like bruises and sprains (39 percent of stroller injuries, 48 percent of carrier injuries)
- Traumatic brain injuries or concussions (25 percent of stroller injuries, 35 percent of carrier injuries)
Traumatic brain injuries (TBIs) occur when a sudden trauma (like a hard bump to the head) causes damage to the brain, and they can be mild to severe. A child who has one can remain conscious or lose consciousness for a few seconds to a few minutes and may experience headache, confusion, dizziness or blurred vision, among other symptoms. A concussion is a type of TBI that temporarily alters the way your brain functions.
In this study, TBIs, including concussions, led to hospitalization for 7 percent of children with carrier injuries and 2 percent of children with stroller injuries.
During the 21-year study period, overall injuries went down—good news, since it means that manufacturer recalls are working. That said, "it is still unacceptably high," said Kristi Roberts, MS, MPH, study author and a research associate in the Center for Injury Research and Policy at Nationwide Children's Hospital, in a statement.
"The updates to voluntary manufacturer standards and frequent product recalls in recent years have been a good first step, but the large number of injuries we are still seeing shows we need to do more," Roberts wrote. "While these products are used safely by families every day, when injuries do occur they can be quite serious."
While you don't need to criminalize yourself every time your rambunctious tot gets a bump or bruise, you can take a few simple steps to reduce the risk of more serious injuries.
- Buckle up. Always follow the manufacturer’s instructions, and make sure your child is seated and buckled every time you use a carrier or stroller.
- Don’t hang stuff on handles. It can cause strollers to tip over. Instead, opt for a stroller with storage below the seat and stow your goods there.
- Check weight limits. Strollers aren’t one-size-fits-all, so be sure your child’s stroller is designed for his or her height and weight.
- Lock it. When you’re not pushing a stroller, lock the wheels so it doesn’t roll away unexpectedly, especially when you’re using it near a curb or crowded street without sidewalks.
- Keep carriers low. When you're taking baby in or out of your carrier, keep it low to the ground so there's less distance for baby to fall if she takes a tumble.
- Watch out for recalls. Strollers and carriers are recalled frequently, so be sure to keep an eye out for recalls on your brand. Recalls are listed on http://www.recalls.gov — be sure to check there, too, before buying any used product.