Using Highchair Triggers Injuries

Highchair injuries have become more common especially among households who make use of it frequently, according to Dispatch.

Parents who make use of highchairs should ensure that the seat has not been recalled and should also be vigilant about strapping their kids unto the chairs. Safety advocates encourages parents to always keep an eye on their children while seating on highchairs. Each year, from 2003 to 2010, highchair-related injuries have become one of the most common causes for an average of 9,400 visits to pediatric-emergency departments, according to a study published online in the journal Clinical Pediatrics.

Throughout the study period, the number of visits increased by more than 22 percent and many of the children sufferers were seen for head injuries, Dr. Gary Smith, lead study researcher and director of the Center for Injury Research and Policy at Nationwide Children's Hospital, confirms. In almost all of the cases, children suffered from injuries due to falls. It was either because the children were climbing or standing on the chair. "Misuse of chairs is a concern, as are problems with the chairs themselves," said Smith.

In recent years, approximately 3.5 million chairs have already been recalled for defects including faulty restraint bars, weak plastic joints that result in collapse and belts that can't be tightly secured. "This is a product that parents are really buying to keep their child safe, and yet it often is itself involved in the injuries," said Nancy Cowles, executive director of the Chicago-based group Kids in Danger.

Dr. Smith recommends checking for recalls on www.recalls.gov. It might also be useful to look for Juvenile Products Manufacturers Association sticker on the packaging when buying a chair for babies and toddlers.