It seems I’ve been writing all year about recalls of defective cribs and strollers. Now, according to an article in Bloomberg News, I see the reason – there was an alarming increase in injuries to babies from these products last year. I don’t know if this increase was caused by lax regulation in previous years, by poor design, or by shortcuts in the manufacturing processes overseas. Whatever the reason, the result is certainly troubling.
All parents of newborns should take extra precaution, and do their research before purchasing nursery equipment or accepting hand-me-down equipment from friends or family. Saving a little money on a used crib is not worth the potential risk to your baby. Here are excerpts from the article:
Injuries caused by cribs, strollers, high chairs and other nursery products spiked 21 percent in 2009 from the previous year, the U.S. Consumer Product Safety Commission said.
Regulators estimated there were 77,300 emergency-room visits related to products aimed at children younger than 5 years old, compared with 63,700 in 2008, the CPSC said in a report published today. The agency doesn’t have an explanation at this time, said Scott Wolfson, a CPSC spokesman.
The products covered in the report have been subject to recalls in the past year. Retailers such as Wal-Mart Stores Inc., Target Corp., Kmart and Toys R Us have recalled cribs. Newell Rubbermaid Inc.’s Graco subsidiary recalled high chairs in March and an infant carrier-stroller combination last month.
The increase in injuries is “troubling,” said Nancy Cowles, executive director of Chicago-based Kids in Danger, which tracks fatalities and injuries in children’s products. “These are all products that have consistently high numbers of injuries.”
Infant carriers, including those that can be used as car seats, were involved in 15,800 injuries last year, compared with 11,700 in 2008 — a 35 percent increase. There were 14,600 children sent to the emergency room with crib injuries last year, a 27 percent increase from 11,500 in 2008, the CPSC said.
“The CPSC intends to study the exposure children have to all the key nursery products,” Wolfson said. “We have been and are continuing to work on new safety rules,” including those required under a 2008 law, he said.
