Nicholas Bakalar warns parents of a common potential hazard in practically every home:
Researchers writing online in Clinical Pediatrics analyzed a national database of injuries from 2003 to 2010 and found that the annual number of injuries related to high chairs increased by 22.4 percent to 10,930 in 2010 from 8,926 in 2003. Falling out of the chair accounted for almost 93 percent of the injuries.
The study found that most of the injuries occurred to the head, neck, and face, and included abrasions, contusions, lacerations, and concussions. Nearly two-thirds of children who were injured in high chairs fell while either climbing or standing on them, indicating that the safety restraint systems were not being properly utilized. Aside from advising that children not climb or stand on high chairs, the authors urged parents to supervise their children carefully while restrained in a safe seat:
“The most effective way to prevent those falls is to use the restraint system in the chair,” said the senior author, Dr. Gary A. Smith, director of the Center for Injury Research and Policy at Nationwide Children’s Hospital in Columbus, Ohio. “And supervise your child carefully during mealtime.”
The YouTube video below summarizes the results of this new study and demonstrates the proper use of the safety restraint system: