New Calls Rise For a Nationwide Ban on Baby Walkers
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Canada has banned baby walkers since 2004. Now, Consumer Reports has joined the AAP in calling for the same in the U.S.
Getty Images/Mayte Torres
Fact checked by Sarah ScottFact checked by Sarah ScottToday’s parents-to-be may have home videos and Polaroids of themselves rolling around in baby walkers as infants. Though similar products remain on the market in the United States, baby walkers have been banned in Canada since April 2004. On October 10, a new investigation by Consumer Reports called for the U.S. to do the same.In the investigation, Consumer Reports cited numerous statistics saying infant walkers cause thousands of injuries to babies each year and can also lead to death.Current federal regulations require that new infant walkers pass tests designed to prevent certain incidents, like stair falls, tip-overs, and leg entanglements, explains William Wallace, associate director of safety policy for Consumer Reports.However, Wallace says these standards are insufficient. “Babies are still regularly getting injured from falls they suffer while using them," he adds.Here’s what parents should know about the latest concerns over baby walkers and safer alternatives.What the Data Says About the Dangers of Baby WalkersThe Consumer Product Safety Commission (CPSC) estimated that about 3,000 injuries per year from 2004-2008 to children under age 15 months related to infant walkers resulted in emergency department treatment. Falls, cuts, bruises, internal organ injuries, and injured heads and faces were among the most common issues that led to the ER visit. They also found eight fatal incidents were reported in that same period.The call for the ban aligns Consumer Reports with the American Academy of Pediatrics (AAP), which advocated for one in a 2018 study, citing similar data suggesting the use of baby walkers increased risks for injury and delayed motor skills.“Even though baby walkers' use is sometimes cultural or a trend of use, based upon the strong recommendations issued by the AAP, as pediatricians, we don’t recommend using it,” says Janet Lazieh, MD, a pediatrician at Holy Name Medical Center in New Jersey.The AAP cites risks like drowning in a bath or pool in a fast-moving walker. They also say that since walkers can make it easier to reach objects up high, infants are more likely to be poisoned or burned.The CPSC took action in 2010, setting mandatory safety standards to address tip-overs, stair falls, and leg entrapments. The agency updated them in 2022 to bolster stair fall protections.However, Consumer Reports points to new data saying regulations still fall short and that the best course is a total ban. The CPSC’s 2024 Nursery Products report noted about 2,467 average annual injuries to children under 5 from baby walkers, jumpers, or exercises that warranted ER treatment between 2021-2023. (New data lumps the three product types together.)Wallace says the risks come without reward.“Crucially, we're calling for a ban not just because infant walkers are hazardous but also because they aren't necessary,” he notes. “The medical evidence does not show that they help babies learn how to walk, and in fact, there is evidence that they could delay infants' development.”For these reasons, Dr. Lazieh hopes the ban succeeds.“We hope the legislation will translate the recommendations to a ban as it had happened in Canada,” she says.What a Baby Walker Ban Would MeanIt’s important to understand the product the organization (and the AAP) is advocating for a ban on.“These walkers are the products with wheels where babies sit in the middle and move themselves around a room,” Wallace says. “They are not to be confused with stationary activity centers or push walkers, which don't pose the same level of risk.”Wallace continues by saying a ban would make it illegal for anyone to sell, offer for sale, manufacture for sale, distribute in commerce, or import infant walkers in the United States.Since the AAP first began pushing for an infant walker ban in 2018, pediatricians have counseled parents to not use them.“They are dangerous,” says Gina Posner, MD, a board-certified pediatrician at MemorialCare Medical Group in California. “Many babies tip over in them. They can also get to places faster than people think and put themselves in dangerous situations.”Wallace says Consumer Reports launched their investigation to determine why infant walkers were banned in Canada but not in the U.S. “Our investigation includes interviews with parents, doctors, and other experts, and found that a big part of the reason why infant walkers are not banned in the U.S. is because of flaws in our regulatory system that–compared to Canada–make it much more difficult for our federal safety regulatory agency, the Consumer Product Safety Commission (CPSC), to ban products on its own volition,” Wallace says.Indeed, there’s plenty of red tape.“To implement a product ban, the CPSC generally has to demonstrate–and have it hold up in court—that there was no feasible set of rules that would have adequately reduced the risk of injury,” Wallace adds. “This is an incredibly high bar to reach and one that leaves it all too easy for manufacturers and their attorneys to take the CPSC to court and win.”Wallace says a CPSC ban generally only happens if Congress specifically directs it to issue one, and that's what Consumer Reports will ask them to do. Alternatives to Baby WalkersWhile baby walkers are still available for purchase, pediatricians recommend against them. Daniel Ganjian, MD, FAAP, a board-certified pediatrician at Providence Saint John’s Health Center in California, says safer alternatives to infant walkers are:Stationary activity centers without wheelsPlay yards/playpensTummy time (which also builds muscles needed for crawling and walking)Floor playWallace stresses that a parent’s watchful eye and attention are the best safety tools regardless of what you use.“Always keep a close eye on your child and make sure you have extra protection in place, such as properly installed baby gates, to keep them from the riskiest situations," he says. For more Parents news, make sure to sign up for our newsletter! Read the original article on Parents.
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