Baby Rattles
Twenty years of CPSC NEISS emergency-room records for this consumer product category, combined with demographic breakdowns, multi-year injury trends, and matching recall notices.
Nursery & Baby Products · CPSC Code 1517
Up 370% over 5 years
The verdict
Baby Rattles carry a danger score of 33/100 (low risk), driven by roughly 109 ER-treated injuries a year that are rising by about 370% over the last five years.
- 33/100
- danger score (low risk)
- 109
- ER visits per year (avg)
- 0.5%
- end in hospital admission
- 0-4
- most-injured age group
Every figure is rendered from the CPSC NEISS record for product code 1517 - last data year 2024.
PlainSafety danger score
How this 33/100 score is built
The score is computed from four CPSC-derived factors for baby rattles - no opinion, no editorializing:
- Injury volume109 ER visits/yr
- Severity (hospitalization rate)0.5%
- Fatality rate0.00%
- 5-year trend+370%
See the full methodology for the exact weighting of each factor.
What the CPSC Data Shows
Baby Rattles (CPSC product code 1517, in the Nursery & Baby Products category) generate an estimated 109 emergency-room visits every year in the United States, adding up to roughly 2,070 ER-treated injuries across the 20-year span from 2005 to 2024. PlainSafety derives a danger score of 33/100 for this category (low risk), combining raw injury volume, demographic reach, severity of outcome, and multi-year trend. The five-year trajectory shows that injury counts are rising by about 370% over the last five years, with the busiest year on record being 2013 (277 estimated ER visits) and the quietest 2018 (5 estimated visits).
The single most common ER diagnosis for baby rattles is internal injury to the head, accounting for approximately 375 visits across the 20-year NEISS window, followed by ingestion to the internal (204 cases). The 0-4 age group absorbs the largest share of injuries, about 1,491 cases over the NEISS window, and males appear slightly more often than the opposite sex in that cohort. Severity outcomes from the NEISS disposition field show that 0.5% of ER visits involving this product end in hospital admission or transfer.
Beyond the hospital-sampled NEISS projections, this page also aggregates 54 consumer incident reports filed directly on SaferProducts.gov, plus 20 anonymized ER narratives - together forming a layered picture of how baby rattles fail in real households. Every figure on this page comes from CPSC-published data: NEISS projects national estimates from a probability sample of about 100 U.S. hospital emergency departments, while SaferProducts.gov collects voluntary reports from consumers, manufacturers, and clinicians. The danger score, trend indicators, and demographic breakdowns update automatically when CPSC releases a new yearly NEISS file, which is why this page is dated 2024-12-31. For regulatory context, consult CPSC recall notices and the SaferProducts.gov public database linked below.
Annual Injury Estimates (2005–2024)
Source: CPSC NEISS national estimates CPSC NEISS national estimates Injuries represent ER-treated cases only
Who Gets Injured?
| Age Group | Male | Female | Total |
|---|---|---|---|
| 0-4 | 789 | 702 | |
| 5-14 | 32 | 47 | |
| 15-24 | 0 | 31 | |
| 25-34 | 155 | 242 | |
| 35-44 | 0 | 20 | |
| 45-54 | 0 | 55 |
Most Common Injuries
| Body Part | Diagnosis | Est. Injuries |
|---|---|---|
| Head | Internal Injury | |
| Internal | Ingestion | |
| Face | Foreign Body | |
| Face | Contusions, Abr. | |
| Head | Contusions, Abr. | |
| Ankle | Strain, Sprain | |
| Internal | Aspiration | |
| Eyeball | Derma/conjunct | |
| Neck | Strain, Sprain | |
| Upper Trunk | Other | |
| Mouth | Contusions, Abr. | |
| Foot | Fracture | |
| Shoulder | Fracture | |
| Mouth | Laceration | |
| Finger | Laceration |
Severity Breakdown
ER Visit Narratives
Real anonymized emergency room reports from the CPSC NEISS database.
2YOM FOREIGN OBJECT IN NOSE, WAS PLAYING WITH A BAG OF CLEAR PLASTIC BALLS AND THEY THINK SHE MAY HAVE STUCK SOMETHING UP HER NOSE. IT MIGHT HAVE COME FROM RATTLER. DX: FOREIGN BODY IN NOSE
6MOF PRESENTS AFTER MOM WENT TO PICK HER UP AT DAYCARE AND FOUND WOUNDS ON FACE, AS PER BABY SITTER PT WAS IN CRIB WITH ANOTHER CHILD AND THAT CHILD HIT BABY ON THE FACE W/ A PLASTIC RATTLE, C/O NONE, DX:HEAD INJURY, ABRASIONS OF MULTIPLE SITES
6MOM PRESENTING TO ED W VOMITING. PT HIT HEAD W RATTLE AT 1PM, PT CRIED RIGHT AWAY (MOM IN SAME ROOM CLEANING AT THE TIME). DX; TRAUMATIC INJURY OF HEAD
15 MOM PRESENTS WITH MOUTH BLEEDING S/P AS CHEWING ON A WOODEN BABY RATTLE THAT WAS ACCIDENTALLY SHOVED IN HIS MOUTH. DX: MOUTH BLEEDING
5MOM WITH MOUTH PAIN FROM POSSIBLY INJURY FROM A TOY RATTLE. DX: MOUTH PAIN.
49DOF HIT IN THE HEAD WITH A BABY RATTLE. DX CHI
46 YOF WAS WIGGLING A BABY RATTLE WITH A KNIFE IN HER HAND WHEN IT SLIPPED AND CUT HER FINGER. DX: LACERATION LEFT INDEX FINGER
11MOM WAS EATING A COOKIE AND HIS TWIN SISTER WAS SWINGING A RATTLE AROUND, WHEN PARENTS TURNED AROUND, HE WAS BLEEDING FROM HIS LIP, THEY ARE NOT EXACTLY SURE HOW THE INJURY HAPPENED. DX: LACERATION OF LIP, LACERATION OF MOUTH
2 YOM RATTLE TOY BROKE, POSSIBLY INJESTION OF TINY LITTLE METAL PELLETS DX FB INGESTION
44YOF WAS ACCIDENTALLY HIT IN THE HEAD WITH A PLASTIC BABY RATTLE THAT HER NINE MONTH OLD DAUGHTER WAS SHAKING AND NOW IS DIZZY DX: CLOSED HEAD INJURY
9 MOF HIT ON THE HEAD WITH A RATTLE. DX FOREHEAD CONTUSION
13 MOF. C/O HEAD INJURY, PT WAS PLAYING WITH A RATTLE TOY AND HIT HERSELF IN THE HEAD WITH IT. DX: HEAD INJURY.
Consumer Incident Reports
Reports filed by consumers on SaferProducts.gov.
Skip hop Explore and more roll around toy, bee version. I've had this toy for a few months and today my baby was playing with it in his car seat. My three year old told me the toy was broken so I stopped and looked at the toy and the wings part that holds two beads on it had broken. One of the beads was missing and I couldn't find it but I don't think my baby swallowed it. The beads are a definite choking hazard. I looked on Amazon at the reviews and this isn't the first time this has happened. I am so glad my baby was ok because he easily could have choked on one of the beads!!
Daisy Animal Wrist Rattle and Foot Finder Set (Pack of 4) from Daisy's Dream purchased from Amazon, items contain small rattles, much smaller than an infant's trachea. Items arrived with open seams, rattles falling out. Absolute choking hazard. Reported to Amazon over one month ago , and they are not only still selling them they just put them on a flash sale! Copy of my review below Dangerous, choking hazard By [REDACTED] on July 31, 2016 Verified Purchase Looks adorable...BUT- the rattle inside is small enough to choke a child, and the wrist rattle arrived with a torn seam which allowed the rattle to fall out. Extremely unsafe item, should not be sold. [REDACTED]- Registered Nurse
Bought 6 month old toy from amazon that had age description as baby Bell broke off nearly choked baby was stuck in behind her jaw husband turned her upside down then had to flick it out within finger
My 7 month old infant was playing with the Fat Brain pipSquigz rattles when I noticed him rubbing at his eyes. One of the rattles had started peeling and was flaking off and got bits of silicone in his eye and mouth. This was within 10 minutes of using the product (we had just taken it out of the packaging).
The consumer says the case of the rattle is breaking off. it is two solid dark blue pieces molded together that breaks off where they are molded. This causes pieces to break and pose a choking hazard. She says her daughter is not strong enough to cause the damage. She noticed a recall (Release #12-161) of a rattle for the same hazard but it is completely different than the one she has. She contacted the manufacturer and left a message.
We've seen blue markings show up on our child's hands, torso and clothes, aswell as ours. We've been unsure where its been coming from until todays incident. We've discoverd that the blue is actually the paint of one of toys in the infantino's activity toy set. More specifically, from the ears of the caterpillar tambourine. The paint does not come off in chips, but more like wet paint. Our 7 month old was teething on it when we became aware that the paint was on her mouth and body. We know that the caterpillar is the specific toy to blame, cause it was the only toy we had with us at the time. We immediatly took the toy from her and acquired the same blue markings on ourselves.
My 6 month old baby was playing with and shaking the product "Itzy Ritzy Mini Maracas" the "Muscial shaker". It is designed with holes at the top with a bell inside. His fingers were inside the holes because it is easier to grasp it there than the stem of the mushroom. So when he changed positions from sitting up to on his tummy his fingers were crushed because he could not get his fingers out easily due to the poor design. He cried but luckily did not sustain a major injury to his fingers.
My 8 month old was playing with the o ball raddle and one the plastic disc fell off has he was banging it on the told floor, he grabbed it and put in his mouth, I was lucky to catch it in time before he started choking on it or before he swallowed it.
Showing 8 of 54 reports.
Product Recalls
Search for active and past recalls related to baby rattles on the CPSC website.
Frequently Asked Questions
How dangerous are baby rattles?
Based on 20 years of CPSC data, baby rattles have a danger score of 33/100 (low risk). An estimated 109 ER-treated injuries occur annually in the U.S. related to this product category.
What are the most common injuries from baby rattles?
The most common injury is internal injury to the head, accounting for approximately 375 injuries over 20 years.
Are injuries from baby rattles increasing or decreasing?
Up 370% over 5 years.
Who is most at risk for baby rattles injuries?
The 0-4 age group accounts for the most injuries, with approximately 1,491 cases recorded over 20 years. Males are more frequently injured in this age group.
What happens when someone is injured by baby rattles?
Of all ER visits involving baby rattles, approximately 0.5% result in hospital admission. The majority of patients (99.5%) are treated and released from the emergency department.
How can I report a safety problem with baby rattles?
You can file a consumer incident report at SaferProducts.gov, the official CPSC reporting portal. Reports help the CPSC identify emerging hazards and trigger investigations or recalls. You can also call the CPSC hotline at 1-800-638-2772.
Related Products in Nursery & Baby Products
Safety Guides
What this means for you
Treat the 33/100 score as relative risk between products, not your personal odds of injury.
- See where this category ranks against every other tracked product. Full rankings
- Injuries cluster in the 0-4 age group, take extra care if that describes your household.
- Check for active recalls on this product before you assume it is safe. CPSC recalls
NEISS estimates ER-treated injuries from a national probability sample of hospitals; they do not capture injuries treated elsewhere or not treated at all.
Data: CPSC National Electronic Injury Surveillance System (NEISS) 2005–2024 and SaferProducts.gov consumer incident reports. Injury estimates are based on a nationally representative probability sample of U.S. hospital emergency departments. This page is for informational purposes only and is not affiliated with the CPSC.
Read our methodology - how this data is sourced, scored, and verified.