Falling with a bottle, pacifier, or sippy cup in the mouth can cause cuts requiring a trip to the ER
MONDAY, May 14 (HealthDay News) -- Approximately 2,000 injuries occur each year from toddlers falling with a bottle, pacifier, or sippy cup in their mouth, according to a study published online May 14 in Pediatrics.
Sarah A. Keim, Ph.D., from The Ohio State University College of Medicine in Columbus, and colleagues conducted retrospective analysis on children under the age of 3 years treated in emergency departments from 1991 to 2010 for an injury associated with a bottle, pacifier, or sippy cup. Data were extracted from the National Electronic Injury Surveillance System.
The researchers found that, from 1991 to 2010, an estimated 45,398 children, or an average of 2,270 cases per year, were treated in emergency departments for injuries related to bottles, pacifiers, or sippy cups. Bottles were most likely to be the source of injury (65.8 percent), followed by pacifiers (19.9 percent) and sippy cups (14.3 percent). Most injuries resulted from falling while using the product (86.1 percent of injuries) and consisted mainly of lacerations (70.4 percent); the body region injured most often was the mouth (71.0 percent). Children aged 1 year were injured most often. Product malfunctions were uncommon (4.4 percent of cases).
"Given the number of injuries, particularly those associated with falls while using the product, greater efforts are needed to promote proper usage," the authors conclude.
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