Baby walkers are the most dangerous products. The Consumer Protection Board has warned about them, but they are still widely sold.

Article by Prachuab Plittapolkranpim

The Child Safety Promotion and Injury Prevention Research Center (Dept. of Pediatrics, Faculty of Medicine Ramathibodi Hospital) surveyed the use of 12 infant products in families with children ≤2 years: rattles, pacifiers, strollers, teething toys, cribs, playpens, hammocks, baby walkers, push-chairs, high chairs, rocking chairs, jumping seats, and baby carriers.

Key Findings

Among 245 children, 82 were injured while using these products (child-based count).
Counting by product incidents, 120 injuries were recorded.
Top hazards: baby walkers (47 cases), rattles (24), hammock/rocking cradles (20), strollers (10), then rocking chairs, cribs, carriers, and playpens.

Baby Walkers: High Risk, No Benefit

Despite long-standing popularity, research shows walkers do not speed up walking and increase injuries (tip-overs, head trauma/brain bleeding, drowning, burns, collisions).
Canada, Australia, and the U.S. restrict or ban walkers.
In Thailand, regulators require a warning label and name change (e.g., “support vehicle”), but sales remain legal and injuries persist—prompting parents to ask why a ban isn’t enacted.

Standards & Market Problems

Although some products (e.g., rattles) have Thai Industrial Standards, non-compliant items are widely sold, with ongoing injuries and occasional deaths.
Products like cradles, cribs, and strollers have mandatory safety standards abroad. Thai manufacturers can meet those for export, yet domestic market controls are weaker, leaving Thai consumers exposed to lower-quality goods.

What Parents, Advocates, and Experts Urge

Immediate mandatory safety standards for infant products in Thailand.
Stronger market surveillance and testing to remove unsafe items before tragedies occur, rather than reacting after the fact.

Detailed Stats (from 245 complete cases)

Injured children (child-based): 82 (Round 1: 61; Round 2: 21)
Injuries by product (product-based): 120 (Round 1: 90; Round 2: 30)
Ranking of injury sources:
1. Baby walkers 2) Rattles 3) Hammock cradles 4) Strollers
2. Rocking chairs 6) Cribs 7) Baby carriers 8) Playpens

Context: Findings and calls to action were discussed at the People’s Forum on Child Safety (Chulalongkorn–Ramathibodi–Siriraj faculties of medicine, Engineering Institute of Thailand, and ThaiHealth) on 18 June 2011 at IMPACT Convention Center, Muang Thong Thani.