Sit-in baby walkers have been banned in Canada for two decades, but they are still one of the most popular baby items in the United States despite renewed calls for a ban on them. The walkers are linked to thousands of injuries every year and were linked to at least eight deaths between 2004 and 2008.
The American Academy of Pediatrics has called for their ban since 2004 to no avail. Safety standards were tightened in 2010 and again in 2022 to prevent stair falls and tip-overs. However, almost 2,500 injuries were reported each year from 2021 to 2023.
Even though walker sales dropped by about 350,000 over the last decade, the AAP says that while stair falls may have been reduced, head and neck injuries are still common. There are also other risks like children inadvertently rolling into pools or being burned or poisoned because reaching high objects is easier in a walker.
Still, despite repeated recalls, updated safety standards and warnings from experts, baby walkers continue to be sold all over the U.S. to parents who do not know all of the risks.
Consumer Reports, a nonprofit dedicated to product testing, asked the Consumer Product Safety Commission if it would consider a ban on baby walkers.
“Staff constantly review incident data with a view toward ensuring that standards continue to address product hazards,” the organization said. “To the extent that staff recommend additional improvements to the mandatory standard, the Commission will consider how best to act on those recommendations.”
