Consumer Reports calls for federal ban on baby walkers. Here's why.

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Consumer Reports is calling for a national prohibition of babe walkers, saying the products injure thousands of babies each twelvemonth contempt national information standards that person slowed — but not stopped — heartbreaking incidents for parents.

The user advocacy group's stark warning, on with its recently published report detailing injuries and deaths caused by babe walkers, comes 2 decades aft Canada banned them aft investigating superior pediatric injuries from falls by infants utilizing the products. 

The American Academy of Pediatrics (AAP) successful 2018 besides pushed for a ban, stating that walkers bash not assistance babies larn to locomotion and successful information tin hold mean centrifugal and intelligence development.

"One happening that's truly not good understood by the nationalist successful wide is conscionable however accelerated infants tin question successful these walkers — aggregate feet per second," Dr. James Dodington, a pediatric exigency medicine doctor, told CR. "The risks are numerous," the doc added, noting that, beyond caput and cervix injuries, babies tin beryllium burned by coming into interaction with a blistery stove oregon inadvertently rolling into a excavation oregon different assemblage of water.

Over the years manufacturers person voluntarily tightened information standards, portion the U.S. Consumer Product Safety Commission successful 2010 mandated brakes connected the babe walkers to forestall falls down staircases. But these steps lone succeeded successful slowing the complaint of injuries, with thousands of kids inactive treated successful infirmary exigency rooms each year.

From 1990 to 2014, astir 231,000 U.S. children beneath the property of 15 months were treated successful ERs for babe walker-related injuries, astir sustaining caput oregon cervix injuries and astir two-thirds of the incidents involving falls down stairs, according to 2018 probe from AAP. Injuries fell astir 23% during the four-year play aft the national information modular took effect, yet thousands of kids are inactive injured each year. 

"Because determination is nary wide payment from their use, the American Academy of Pediatrics recommends a prohibition connected the manufacture and merchantability of mobile babe walkers," AAP stated. 

Between 2021 and 2023, an mean of 2,467 children per twelvemonth nether property 5 ended up successful the ER aft utilizing babe walkers, jumpers oregon exercisers, according to the CPSC's 2024 nursery products report, citing information from the National Electronic Injury Surveillance System.

Asked for remark astir Consumer Reports' telephone for a babe walker ban, a spokesperson for the CPSC said the agency's unit "constantly reappraisal incidental information with a presumption toward ensuring that standards proceed to code merchandise hazards. To the grade that unit urge further improvements to the mandatory standard, the committee volition see however champion to enactment connected those recommendations."

Kate Gibson

Kate Gibson is simply a newsman for CBS MoneyWatch successful New York, wherever she covers concern and user finance.

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