AAP: Baby Wearing-Related Injuries Most Common in Infants 5 Months or Younger

FRIDAY, Oct. 8, 2021 (HealthDay News) — Baby wearing (BW)-related injuries (BWIs) most often occur in children aged 5 months or younger, and 19.3 percent of these infants require hospitalization, according to a study presented at the annual meeting of the American Academy of Pediatrics, held virtually from Oct. 8 to 11.

Samantha Rowe, M.D., a primary care provider in Bethesda, Maryland, and colleagues analyzed data from the National Electronic Injury Surveillance System for patients aged 5 years and younger who sustained an injury associated with a BW product from 2011 to 2020. National estimates were generated from a total of 601 cases.

The researchers estimated that 14,024 patients presented to U.S. emergency departments with BWI from 2011 to 2020. Twenty-two percent of these injuries resulted from a caregiver fall. Sixty-one percent of the injuries occurred in children ages 5 months and younger; most of these infants injured their head (83.7 percent) and 9.3 percent required hospitalization. Baby carrier, not specified; baby carriers or slings; and other baby carriers were the products most often associated with injury (45.2, 30.9, and 16.1 percent, respectively). The most common BWI diagnosis was traumatic brain injuries/concussions (59.1 percent); 20.8 percent of these injuries required hospitalization. More than half of patients (52.1 percent) were injured by falling from the product.

“The most precious thing a parent will ever wear is their child,” Rowe said in a statement. “But like when buying a new pair of shoes, parents must be educated on the proper sizing, selection, and wear of baby carriers to prevent injury to themselves and their child.”

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