Mayerson Center for Safe and Healthy Children

Smith GA, et al. Babywalker-related injuries continue despite warning labels and public education . Pediatrics 1997;100(2) electronic

Methods:

• 271 children 4-36 months of age (mean 9.2 months) treated in the emergency department for baby-walker related injuries

Results:

• 26 / 271 patients had skull fractures: 17 parietal, eight frontal, one occipital
• 3 / 26 patients had depressed skull fractures (two of these also had a second non-depressed skull fracture)
• three patients had intracranial bleeds (two had subdurals)
• Also: three patients with clavicular fractures and one patient had ulnar / radial fractures
• The number of steps the child fell down was significantly associated with skull fractures
• 14.6 percent of patients who struck concrete sustained a skull fracture compared to 8.1 percent in the non-concrete group (p=.21).

Conclusions:

• Number of stairs a child falls down when in a walker is significantly associated with sustaining a skull fracture (independent of the influence of landing surface).
• Extremity injuries uncommon in baby-walker-related falls.

Smith GA, et al. Injuries to children related to shopping carts . Pediatrics 1996;97:161-165.

Methods:

• 62 children aged 4 months-10 years (mean 2.8 years) treated in the emergency department for shopping cart-related injury. 58 percent of cases fell out of the shopping cart.

Results:

• 11 (18 percent) patients had fractures: five skull fractures, two femur fractures, one metatarsal fracture, one clavicle fracture, one distal  phalanx fracture (hand), and one radius / ulna fracture
• 49 (79 percent) of patients had injuries to the head
• Skull films were obtained in 11 patients (18 percent)
• CT scan obtained in nine patients (14 percent), no abnormalities detected

Conclusion:

• Injuries from shopping cart falls can be serious. These falls from shopping carts onto a hard non-energy-absorbing surface did not cause any serious head injury.