Binkies, bottles and sip cups, oh my!
Little ones love them.
But now researchers are finding, these items are not always safe.
According to a new study in this week's issue of Pediatrics, from 1991 to 2010, more than 45,000 children under the age of three were treated in emergency rooms in the U.S. for injuries caused by a bottles, sippy cups or pacifiers. That's about one child every four hours.
The data, which was collected through a national survey on injuries, found 86 percent of the accidents happened when children fell while using one of the products, and 83 percent of those falls resulted in lacerations or contusions to the face and mouth.
Study authors also found that two-thirds of the injuries involved one-year-olds, an age, pediatricians say, when little ones are still uneasy on their feet and are prone to topple over.
Because of the high number of injuries reported, study authors recommend toddlers not have these products in their mouths when they are walking, and that children only be given products designed for their age group.
Doctors also noted the best thing to do to avoid injuries, is to help children make a transition to a regular cup around the age of one.
