Objective: To describe the incidence, rate, and characteristics of injuries associated with strollers and carriers among young children in the United States.

Methods: A retrospective analysis was conducted using data from the National Electronic Injury Surveillance System for children 5 years of age and younger treated in emergency departments (1990-2010), who sustained an injury associated with a stroller or carrier.

Results: An estimated 360,937 (95% confidence interval: 294,279-427,594) children aged 5 years or younger were treated in emergency departments for stroller- or carrier-related injuries, an average of 17,187 annually. Overall, the rate of stroller- and carrier-related injuries decreased significantly during the study period. Regarding stroller-related injuries, patients were most commonly male (52.4%) and younger than 1 year of age (42.0%); the head (43.0%) and face (31.0%) were most commonly injured. The most common diagnoses were soft tissue injuries (39.4%) and traumatic brain injuries/concussions (24.6%). Similarly, for carrier-related injuries, patients were most commonly male (52.5%) and younger than 1 year of age (89.0%); the head (61.5%) and face (24.7%) were most commonly injured. The most common diagnoses were soft tissue injuries (48.1%) and traumatic brain injuries/concussions (34.9%). Carrier-related injuries resulted in more hospitalizations (6.5%) than stroller-related injuries (2.4%).

Conclusions: Stroller- and carrier-related injuries, specifically those resulting from falls from the product or tip-overs, are important sources of injury for children 5 years of age and younger. Although injuries over the 21-year study period decreased overall, the considerable number of injuries annually shows the need to further reduce the potential for injury associated with these ubiquitous products.