A decade of research shows that these wheeled wonders cause more emergency room visits than any other form of baby furniture, and a study published in October proved that walkers also hinder mental and motor development.

Yet walkers have not been recalled.

In fact, thanks to the boom in e-commerce, the devices are more accessible than ever before. Online, foreign companies hock wares that may or may not follow U.S. safety standards, while freewheeling auction sites, trafficking in the tradition of passed-down products, have given new life to used walkers that might have otherwise simply gathered dust or been thrown away. EBay, for example, typically lists more than a dozen walkers, all with bids starting at $20 or less -- about half the price of a new walker.

Ken Giles, spokesman for the Consumer Product Safety Commission, says that recalls typically affect only products with faulty manufacturing. Because walkers work, and because injuries most often occur in conjunction with something else, they have been left on the market. And they have been made safer, Giles stressed, noting a 1997 design standard that convinced most companies to start including safety devices -- such as brakes -- that prevent walkers from rolling down stairs.

Still, more than half of the 18 million walkers still in use today -- and being traded online -- are without these stair devices. And even those with the new braking mechanisms are dangerous, pediatricians say.

"They allow a child who isn't mature enough to become mobile," says Phyllis Agran, a pediatrician at the University of California, Irvine. "They're a hazard."

Agran and other members of the American Academy of Pediatrics had hoped that walkers would be eliminated, scratched from the household experience like lawn darts and other bad ideas in family entertainment. In 1995, the Academy called for an outright ban. Citing the 11 deaths that occurred between 1989 and 1993, and the annual rate of injury -- 25,000 in 1993 -- pediatricians also requested community outreach programs that would retire walkers that had already been purchased.

But the Consumer Product Safety Commission refused to take the Academy's advice. So for the past four years, pediatricians have launched their own grass-roots education campaign, hoping to convince parents and the public to give up walkers by their own accord.

So far, success has been limited. Several baby retailers don't sell walkers anymore, and California has made walkers illegal in day-care centers. Injuries have decreased as a result of these efforts. Still -- partly because of their wide availability on the Web -- walkers caused 13,100 injuries in 1998, more than most other toys or infant furniture.

The problem lies with parental perception, pediatricians say. Walkers have been around for 400 years. Most parents survived their own walker experience unharmed, and many have watched the children of neighbors, relatives or friends roll through the house, apparently safe.

"A lot of parents look to see if something is broken, but they don't necessarily see the design defect," says Bill Kitzes, a consumer safety analyst who worked for the Consumer Product Safety Commission until 1981 and now testifies as an expert witness in product liability cases. "When a product acts as it's supposed to, they trust it."

Too few parents realize how dangerous walkers can be, says Gary Smith, a pediatrician and director of the Center for Injury Research and Policy at the Children's Hospital in Columbus, Ohio. They've been duped and saddled with guilt by the manufacturing mantra that says "adult supervision" is enough to keep little Johnny safe -- which implies that when accidents do occur, the parent, not the product, is to blame.

"Parents have bought the myth that if you watch your children while they're in the walker, then they'll be fine," Smith says. "That's just not the case."

In fact, two-thirds of all injuries associated with walkers occur while parents are in the room, Smith says. "Gates don't stop children from rolling down stairs. Nor can most parents catch them in time."

The only safe walker is one that doesn't move, Smith says. An independent study by the Consumers Union found that walkers made by Cosco, Graco, Delta, Safety 1st, J. Mason and Kolcraft kept children from rolling down stairs. But Smith says that stationary play stations are a better option. These usually cost between $50 and $100 and allow a child to bounce or roll, but never beyond a three to four foot radius. If you're looking for walking aids, there's also the Upsa Daisy. This swing-like device relies on parents to hold the straps that support their standing baby. (Of course, the Upsa Daisy will be of no use to parents who use walkers primarily as a baby entertainment center.)

But convincing parents to give up a familiar product will be difficult. In studies, parents cite various reasons for using walkers -- to keep the infant quiet and happy, to encourage mobility and promote walking, to provide exercise, to help keep their infant safe.

All but the first reason have been debunked. But parents persist. In one study conducted by Smith in 1995, a third of the parents whose children were injured by walkers put them back in the walkers when the wound healed.

"At first, I was stunned," Smith says. "Then I thought about it. I realized that they bought the myth. What that tells us is that nothing short of a ban will keep children safe from these walkers. Categorically, they should not be used."
salon.com | Dec. 30, 1999