Emergency room staff treat more than 2,000 babies a year for injuries caused by infant walkers, leading American pediatricians to once again call for a ban on the products, according to NPR.
Here are four things to know:
1. In a study published Sept. 17 in Pediatrics, researchers analyzed 1990-2014 data on infant walker–related injuries from the National Electronic Injury Surveillance System. During these 24 years, more than 230,000 children under 15 months sustained injuries caused by baby walkers, which required emergency medical attention. Pediatricians saw injuries ranging from skull fractures to concussions and broken bones.
"I view infant walkers as inherently dangerous objects that have no benefit whatsoever and should not be sold in the U.S.," Benjamin Hoffman, a pediatrician and the American Academy of Pediatrics' committee chair on injury, violence and poison prevention, told NPR.
2. Pediatricians and other consumer groups first called for a ban on the infant product in 1992, raising widespread publicity about the hazards of baby walkers. The number of injuries related to baby walkers dropped from about 21,000 cases in 1990 to 3,200 in 2003.
3. In 2010, the U.S. Consumer Product Safety Commission strengthened safety requirements for baby walker manufacturers, mandating them to increase product testing and install brakes. Injuries fell 23 percent after implementation of the federal mandated safety standards.
"Despite this great success, there are still 2,000 children a year being treated for injuries, many of them serious injuries, in emergency departments," Gary Smith, MD, director of the Center for Injury Research and Policy at Nationwide Children's Hospital in Columbus, Ohio, and senior author of the study, told NPR. "Therefore, we support the position of the American Academy of Pediatrics that baby walkers should not be sold or used. There's absolutely no reason these products should still be on the market."
4. CPSC said the study illustrates a significant decrease in baby walker injuries since 2010. The group " continues to monitor the product's safety," CPSC said in a statement to NPR.