Are all baby walkers banned in Canada?
Yes. On April 7, 2004, the Canadian government announced an immediate ban on the sale, advertisement and importation of baby walkers in Canada. This prohibition also applies to the sale of both second-hand and new baby walkers sold through flea markets, garage sales or thrift stores. Modified baby walkers with the wheels removed and sold separately are also prohibited.
The ban on baby walkers makes Canada the first country in the world to ban this unsafe product. Countries such as the United Kingdom, Australia and Germany have already expressed interest in the ban and the American Academy of Pediatrics has reissued their call to ban baby walkers in the United States.
How were baby walkers regulated before the ban?
In 1989, the Consumer Product Safety Program of Health Canada worked with the Canadian industry to create a voluntary safety standard for baby walkers. The standard addressed safety concerns by requiring baby walkers to be too wide to fit through doorways. For many years, most retail stores in Canada did not sell baby walkers but more recently they made their way back onto the market. Many walkers were also being sold second-hand or simply being passed on from family to family.
In 1997, baby walker standards in the US were revised to minimize the risk of a child in a walker falling down stairs. It required walkers to be too wide to fit through standard doorways or to have special wheels or a “friction strip” to stop a walker at the edge of a step.
During Safe Kids Week 2003, Safe Kids Canada advised parents to stop using baby walkers and urged the Canadian government to ban these products. The campaign highlighted the dangers of the unsafe product and garnered wide-spread support from public health and health professionals as well as concerned parents and individuals for the walker ban.
At the same time, Health Canada’s Product Safety program was analyzing results of independent testing done on baby walkers that met revised US standards. Testing in Canada showed that walkers with “friction strips” did not always keep the walker from falling down stairs. These test results, as well as the tremendous public response through Safe Kids Week, convinced Health Canada to move to an outright ban on baby walkers.
To the view the regulatory impact analysis by Health Canada click here.
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Why are baby walkers considered dangerous?
Baby walkers cause more injuries to young children than any other nursery product. Walkers are dangerous because they allow a child to reach higher and move faster than they could on their own.
In Canada, approximately 1,000 babies are injured every year while using a walker - nearly three walker injuries every day. Walker-related injuries include:
· Falls down stairs – Children in walkers can cover one meter in one second, giving them the freedom to move quickly towards hazards such as stairs. Nearly 9 out of 10 children brought to emergency rooms for walker-related injuries fell downstairs in their walker. Even in homes where there were safety gates at the top of the stairs, some children fell down stairs when their walker hit the gate and it propped open. In a third of the cases, the gate was not latched properly or someone had left it open.
· Head injuries – Serious head injuries are common in walker falls downstairs because the baby usually lands on his or her head. A head injury is twice as likely to occur in a baby walker compared to an ordinary fall down the stairs.
· Scalds and burns – Baby walkers give young children increased height which allows them to reach objects that are normally out of range such as hot ovens, electric irons, and kettles. Babies have been scalded badly by pulling hot food or drinks onto themselves.
Why do parents use baby walkers? Can’t these injuries be prevented by supervision?
Many parents like to use a baby walker because it allows their baby to sit up and move their legs. Some parents believe that walkers help children learn to walk. Baby walkers do not teach children how to walk. In fact, it puts them at risk of serious injuries because it provides greater mobility than they are ready for at such a young age.
Every parent knows that it is a real challenge to watch kids every second. When your child can move at one metre per second, it does not allow for much time to react. Many walker injuries have happened when a parent was present in the same room.
The risks of baby walkers far outweigh the convenience. Parents need to know that walkers increase the risk of injury because they let babies move fast and reach higher. Walkers are not meant to be devices that should be used to entertain or keep your child safe. There are plenty of safer alternatives such as a playpen or an activity centre without wheels that can be used to keep your child.
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If I currently own a baby walker, what should I do? Is there a way to safely dispose of a baby walker?
The ban on baby walkers is a wonderful first step toward preventing children from getting badly hurt. Safe Kids Canada advises those parents who own a baby walker to stop using them immediately. To prevent any more children from being injured by the use of this dangerous product, parents should take the following steps:
Step 1
Dismantle the baby walker by removing detachable toys, wheels and seats. Cut the seat fabric and crush the wheels. Removing these items will help to ensure that others will not pick up the baby walker for resale, or for use with their own infants.
Step 2
Contact your municipal waste management and/or recycling companies to determine if they will pick up and dispose of these products. If you put the walker outside for regular garbage pick-up, be sure to follow Step 1.
Where should I report the sale of baby walkers? [2nd tier question]
Baby walkers are banned under the Hazardous Products Act. When you see baby walkers being sold, whether new or used, make a note of the location and contact Health Canada’s Product Safety Office, which enforces the regions. Regional officers respond to complaints and questions from consumers, industry and community partners. For a list of regional Product Safety Offices, click here.
Is there a product that can be used safely instead of a baby walker?
Yes, there is an alternative to baby walkers. Stationary activity centres are like baby walkers but they do not have wheels. These products have a flooring surface, so the baby’s feet never touch the floor. The baby can be placed in the middle of the activity centre and still have mobility to bounce up and down and rotate in the seat. When using stationary activity centres, parents should be aware that although this product does not allow mobility, the added height does allow your child to reach potentially dangerous items such as hot drinks, blind cords, lamps or heaters. Always keep stationary activity centers away from hazards such as stairs, windows, or heaters.
| Page published on 2006-08-22 |
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