Canada Bans Baby s

[Guest guest]

On BBC News Web Site this morning:

Baby walkers outlawed in Canada

Baby walkers are designed for infants who can sit up, but not yet

walk. Canada has become the first country in the world to ban the

sale, advertising and import of baby walkers.

" Canadians must know about the dangers posed to infants through the

use of baby walkers, " said Health Minister Pierre Pettigrew.

A voluntary ban on the walkers - essentially baby chairs with

wheels - has existed since 1989, but continuing injuries prompted

the outright ban.

The most common accident occurs when babies fall down stairs.

There have also been reports of infants being able to reach

dangerous objects that would otherwise have been out of their reach,

said the minister.

Distance and speed

Baby walkers are designed for infants who are able to sit up but not

yet able to walk.

They enable them to propel themselves around using their legs.

But baby walkers also allow babies to travel distances and at speeds

their parents may not be accustomed to.

Babies have been injured and killed falling down stairs, and even

falling into swimming pools.

Between 1990 and 2002, the ministry said, there were 1,935 reports

of infants being injured using the walkers.

The health ministry said it had determined that young children " do

not have the necessary skills, reflexes or cognitive abilities to

safely make use of these products " .

Though many companies have adhered to a voluntary ban on walkers,

said the ministry, it had become apparent that walkers were still

being sold at garage sales, online and by street vendors.

Safety inspectors would work with first-time offenders found in

possession of baby walkers to dispose of them, a ministry

spokeswoman told BBC News Online.

Repeat offences could be punished with a fine or seizure of the

walkers, the spokeswoman said.