A young child is injured while using a crib, stroller or other nursery product every eight minutes in the U.S., a new study finds. And researchers say injury rates are on the rise.

The study, published online Monday in the journal Pediatrics, reviewed emergency department records in the U.S. from 1991 through 2011 for kids three years of age and under.

It found that baby carriers were the item most commonly associated with injuries, accounting for 20 per cent of the injuries they looked at.

Cribs and mattresses accounted for almost as many, at 19 per cent, while strollers and carriages accounted for 17 per cent of the injuries.

During the early years of the study, the researchers noted a significant drop in nursery product injuries. Most of that drop was due to a decrease in injuries from baby walkers, which most retailers voluntarily stopped selling years ago. The sale of baby walkers was banned in Canada in 2004.

But in the last eight years of the study, the number of nursery product-related injuries has steadily increased, the study authors note. Most of these injuries were concussions or other head injuries, which can be serious in young children.

Almost 88 per cent of these injuries happened at home and most were related to falls.

Those statistics worry the study’s senior author, Dr. Gary Smith, the director of the Center for Injury Research and Policy at Nationwide Children's Hospital, in Columbus, Ohio.

"It is unacceptable that we are still seeing so many injuries to young children from these products," he said in a statement.

The study authors note that nursery products are recalled more often than any other children’s product category, And yet, many parents are unaware of these recalls.

The study authors say up to 80 per cent of recalled children’s products remain in parents’ homes after a recall, and many parents continue to use them, unaware their use has been deemed unsafe.

Smith says baby product manufacturers need to do a better job of contacting parents to make them aware of issues with their products.

Parents, too, can do more to ensure the products they use are safe, with the authors recommending parents follow the four Rs.

Research

Before buying a new nursery product, go online and look at information from a trusted organization for what types of products are safe for your baby’s size and age.

Recalls

Search sites such as HealthyCanadians.gc.ca to see if products you're considering buying have been recalled. While you are there, sign up to receive alerts about future recalls, the study authors recommend.

Register your product

When buying new baby or kids’ products, be sure to register the purchase with the manufacturer so that you can be notified if the product is recalled.

Read the manual

Take a few minutes to read the manual before you use a new product to learn how the product works and how not to use it.