Common Everyday Baby Items Found To Be a Risk For Your Child's Health

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There are many common everyday baby items such as baby bottles, pacifiers and sippy cups that have been found to be a risk for your child’s health. Researchers at the center for BiobehavioralHealth and the Center for Injury Research and Policy at Nationwide Children’s Hospital have analyzed the number of child injuries related to these kinds of products and the numbers are extremely high.

Researchers collected data from from 100 hospitals, and found that between 1991 and 2010, over 45,398 children under the age of 3 were sent to the emergency room with an injury related to one of these everyday baby products.  That equals out to be one child every four hours! This doesn’t include the non-reported injuries.

71% of these injuries were linked to the mouth and 20% were around the head, face or neck. The biggest issue occurred with baby bottles, which accounted for two-thirds of the reported injuries. Pacifiers accounted for 20% of the injuries and sippy cups were responsible for 14% on these injuries.


The American Academy of Pediatrics (AAP) and the American Academy of Pediatric Dentistry (AAPD) have listed some recommendations for the use of these everyday baby items for parents to follow closely. Some of these include helping children give up pacifiers after 6 months and when they start walking or giving children lidless cups when they are a year old and making sure they are sitting down when drinking to avoid falling and injuring themselves.