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Toddler Threats

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By: By Health Day

Story Updated: May 18, 2012

A source of comfort for babies and toddlers may send thousands of them to the emergency room every year.

A new study from the journal Pediatrics starts off with this warning: ÒBottles, pacifiers, and sippy

cups are not always as safe as parents believe.Ó

The researchers looked at statistics on kids who were treated in emergency departments over a 20-year period for injuries related to these commonly used childhood items.

They estimated that during this period, more than 2,000 kids nationwide needed emergency care each year due to bottle, pacifier, or sippy-cup injuries.

Bottles were responsible for about two-thirds of the injuries. A common scenario was for children to fall while using one of these items and end up cutting their mouth.

The researchers suggest that parents may want to:

* Keep the risk of injury in mind when deciding when it's time to transition their kids away from pacifiers and bottles, and

* Try to keep small children seated while they're drinking.

I'm Dr. Cindy Haines of HealthDay TV, with the news that doctors are reading; health news that matters to you.

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