by Claudia Boyd-Barrett posted in Parenting

Before you buy that cute new baby carrier or brush the dust off your sister?s hand-me-down stroller, take a few moments to ensure the product hasn?t been recalled and that you know how to use it safely.
A study released this week in the journal Pediatrics found an average of 66,000 children under age 3 are treated in emergency departments each year for injuries related to nursery products. That?s 1 child every 8 minutes, the authors estimated. And while some accidents involving young children and nursery gear are inevitable, the study suggests the number of these incidents shot up by almost a quarter between 2003 and 2011.
The study looked at injuries associated with a wide range of nursery products over two decades. Baby carriers ? both car-seat style and those worn on the body - topped the list of most accident-prone devices. These were linked to almost 20 percent of reported injuries. Cribs and mattresses followed a close second at almost 19 percent. Strollers, walkers, jumpers and baby exercisers were also associated with a significant number of injuries. Most of the children hurt themselves falling from the products. Almost half suffered injuries to the head or neck.

So why the upswing in nursery product-related injuries" The study revealed no definitive answers, but the researchers suggested it may be partly because more parents and caregivers are aware of the danger of concussions, so they take kids to the emergenc...