Eye! Babies are increasingly falling from the high chair

Less than a month ago we told you that was recommendedto use high chairs when putting babies to eat because it learned faster. Well, it is, but whenever you are there safely.

A recent study conducted in the U.S. just revealed an alarming fact: Babies are increasingly falls from high chairs , and the increase was almost 22% from 2003 to 2010. This data is added that emergency services arrive to attend an average of nearly 9,500 chairs related injuries each year. Figure equivalent to a baby injured every hour(and that’;s without taking into account those who fall and not go to the emergency room).

Data from the study

To conduct the study , the authors collected data from the National Electronic Injury Surveillance System of the country looking for related highchairs and regular chairs that occurred between 2003 and 2010 injuries, which have involved children aged 3 years or less.

Injuries saw children who were in their chairs or highchairsincreased from 8,926 in 2003 to 10,930 in 2010 . Many of the accidents, about 2-thirds occurred in children who stood or jumped from the chair before falling.

The logical conclusion is that researchers extracted safety belts do not work well or are inadequate , or that parents do not use either , or directly do not use .

Potentially serious injury

Babies have a fairly large and heavy head compared to the body, so its center of gravity is much higher than ours. This means that when a baby falls from a surface which tends to impact before, or with violence, is the head. According to the study, and to confirm that I have just mentioned,85% of injuries were to the head and face .

As high chairs also are in the kitchen, where the soil is often not very fluffy (here in the U.S., if I’;m not mistaken, it is customary for the house floor is parquet or even have it carpeting ), but it is hard, the risk of serious injury is more than evident.

And that, even though they are continually reviewing the available models to avoid risks. According to Gary Smith, director of the Center for Research and Policy at Nationwide Children’;s Injuries Hospital of Columbus, Ohio, and co-author of the study:

In recent years, have pulled million highchairs because they do not meet current safety standards. Most of these chairs are reasonably safe when the instructions are followed safety straps, but still, 3.5 million high chairs were removed only during the period of our study.

Security measures to prevent falls

Faced with such alarm, to the figures, which show that the chairs are becoming more dangerous for children, probably because parents are becoming less careful , all parents are remembered what the security measures to prevent falls from a chair :

• Be clear that the table does not serve as the chair seat belt.


• Be clear that if the chair does not have table, the table at which the child is about to eat does not serve as a seat belt.


• Be clear that putting a baby loose straps means no wear them.


• Be clear that babies have a gift, called escapism, which makes them able to leave any subject that is not perfectly placed.

That is, if our baby climbed the chair must hold or yes with the belt , and do it well, so he gets out of the chair.Either that or sit beside her and out of the chair if we are going to go elsewhere. Even if you are sitting with the straps, you should never leave it alone, because effectiveness is never 100% (they do escapism, again).

Also, keep in mind that are very skilled and able to climb the chair from outside and, therefore, we have to avoid that risk, either keeping the chair in a place where not arrive or the baby does not come either being with the baby at all times, to prevent, in the silence of his immense curiosity achieves up a little, or a lot, without our supervision.

Eye! Babies are increasingly falling from the high chair