A new study published Monday reported that more than 9,000 children in the United States are injured annually using infant walkers, according to CNN.
The study, published in the September edition of Pediatrics, noted that between 1994 and 2014 an estimated 230,676 children 15 months and younger were treated for injuries related to infant walkers.
The study -- "Infant Walker-Related Injuries in the United States" -- noted that 90.6 percent of the children injured suffered head or neck injuries, while 74.1 percent were hurt by falling down stairs while in an infant walker. Among patients admitted to a hospital -- 4.5 percent, after visiting an emergency room -- skull fractures were suffered by 37.8 percent of the children, the study reported.
Federal safety standards were introduced and implemented by the Consumer Product Safety Commission in 2010, according to U.S. News & World Report. New requirements included more testing for tipping resistance and support in the seating area, setting new standards for the leg openings and working to prevent the infant walker from falling down stairs, the magazine reported.
According to the Pediatrics study, the average number of injuries decreased by. 22.7 percent in the four-year period after federal safety standards were implemented.
The study's authors wrote that despite the decline in injuries, infant walkers "remain an important and preventable source of injury" among young children. The authors said they supported the American Academy of Pediatrics' call for a ban on baby walkers with wheels in the United States.
The AAP said the walkers have no developmental advantages and create a risk for children, CNN reported.
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