Infant Car Seats Used Outside of Vehicles Blamed for Children’s Injuries

More than 43,000 infants were seriously injured in the United States from 2003 to 2007 in accidents involving the use of car seats outside of vehicles, a new hospital study has found.

Newborns and infants placed in car seats set on top of tables, countertops, beds, sofas, and other high surfaces have suffered broken bones and other injuries in falls from the seats, said researchers from Cincinnati Children’s Hospital Medical Center, according to a HealthDay news report.

When children fidget or rock back and forth inside car seats placed on elevated surfaces, they can easily nudge the seats off the surface, raising the risks of falls and injuries serious enough to warrant emergency room treatment, the researchers said.

Children older than two months were at greatest risk of such falls because they are strong enough at that age to rock and move the car seat. The most common injuries associated with these types of accidents were to the head, followed by broken bones and dislocations, according to the study.

At least three babies died in such accidents during the study period.

Younger Kids at Greatest Risks

In the study, which used data collected from the Consumer Product Safety Commission, 62 percent of the accidents involved infants who were younger than four months old. Also, about half the accidents occurred at home.

Eight percent of the injured infants had to be hospitalized and treated for their injuries, according to the study’s authors.

The researchers said in order to prevent newborns and children from being injured in falls from the improper use of car seats, the products should only be used in cars with the infants properly buckled in. If parents need to set the car seat down temporarily upon entering the house before removing the child from the seat, the seat should be placed on the floor rather than a table, countertop, or other elevated surface, the study said.

Manufacturers of car seats also should do a better job of warning consumers about the risks associated with misuse of the products. Including clearer warning labels and instructions about the risks of misusing car seats outside of vehicles could help reduce the numbers of such accidents, the study authors said.

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