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CPSC Offers Safety Tips for Infant Carrier Seats

Document #5048

The U.S. Consumer Product Safety

Commission (CPSC) recommends that

parents keep a close watch when a child is in

an infant carrier seat because the seat can

fall or turn over and the child can be injured

or killed. CPSC knows of at least 5 deaths a

year involving various types of carriers used

to hold infants. In addition, there were over

13,000 estimated injuries in a recent one-year

period. (This does not include incidents

involving motor vehicles.) The deaths

happened when infants became entangled in

restraining straps, when carrier seats toppled

over on soft surfaces such as beds, or when

unrestrained children fell from the carrier seat

to the floor. In almost all of the cases, infants

were left unattended in the infant carrier seat.

Active infants can move or tip carrier seats by

their movements or by pushing off on other

objects with their feet.

To prevent injuries and deaths with infant

carrier seats, CPSC recommends that

parents:

 Choose a carrier with a wide, sturdy

base for stability.

 Stay within arm's reach of the baby

when the carrier seat is on tables or

counters. Infant seats can move when

the baby moves or bounces. Never

place a carrier seat on soft, plush

surfaces that will make it unstable.

 Always use the safety belts.

 Do not use infant carriers as a

substitute for infant car seats.

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Consumers can obtain this publication and additional publication information from the Publications section of

CPSC's web site or by sending your publication request to info@cpsc.gov.

This document is in the public domain. It may be reproduced without change in part or whole by an individual or

organization without permission. If it is reproduced, however, the Commission would appreciate knowing how it is

used. Write the U.S. Consumer Product Safety Commission, Office of Information and Public Affairs, 4330 East

West Highway, Bethesda, MD 20814 or send an e-mail via CPSC's On-Line Form.

The U.S. Consumer Product Safety Commission is charged with protecting the public from unreasonable risks of

serious injury or death from thousands of types of consumer products under the agency's jurisdiction. The CPSC

is committed to protecting consumers and families from products that pose a fire, electrical, chemical, or

mechanical hazard. The CPSC's work to ensure the safety of consumer products - such as toys, cribs, power

tools, cigarette lighters, and household chemicals - contributed significantly to the decline in the rate of deaths

and injuries associated with consumer products over the past 30 years.

To report a dangerous product or a product-related injury, call CPSC's hotline at (800) 638-2772 or CPSC's

teletypewriter at (301) 595-7054, or visit CPSC's web site at www.cpsc.gov/talk.html. To join a CPSC email

subscription list, please go to https://www.cpsc.gov/cpsclist.aspx. Consumers can obtain this release and recall

information at CPSC's Web site at www.cpsc.gov.

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