Other Soft Baby Carriers
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 1562
Up 156% over 5 years
The verdict
Other Soft Baby Carriers carry a danger score of 34/100 (low risk), driven by roughly 97 ER-treated injuries a year that are rising by about 156% over the last five years.
- 34/100
- danger score (low risk)
- 97
- ER visits per year (avg)
- 8.3%
- end in hospital admission
- 0-4
- most-injured age group
Every figure is rendered from the CPSC NEISS record for product code 1562 - last data year 2024.
PlainSafety danger score
How this 34/100 score is built
The score is computed from four CPSC-derived factors for other soft baby carriers - no opinion, no editorializing:
- Injury volume97 ER visits/yr
- Severity (hospitalization rate)8.3%
- Fatality rate0.00%
- 5-year trend+156%
See the full methodology for the exact weighting of each factor.
What the CPSC Data Shows
Other Soft Baby Carriers (CPSC product code 1562, in the Nursery & Baby Products category) generate an estimated 97 emergency-room visits every year in the United States, adding up to roughly 581 ER-treated injuries across the 6-year span from 2019 to 2024. PlainSafety derives a danger score of 34/100 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 156% over the last five years, with the busiest year on record being 2024 (164 estimated ER visits) and the quietest 2023 (39 estimated visits).
The single most common ER diagnosis for other soft baby carriers is internal injury to the head, accounting for approximately 320 visits across the 20-year NEISS window, followed by other to the elbow (78 cases). The 0-4 age group absorbs the largest share of injuries, about 474 cases over the NEISS window, and females appear slightly more often than the opposite sex in that cohort. Severity outcomes from the NEISS disposition field show that 8.3% of ER visits involving this product end in hospital admission or transfer.
Beyond the hospital-sampled NEISS projections, this page also aggregates 8 consumer incident reports filed directly on SaferProducts.gov, plus 20 anonymized ER narratives - together forming a layered picture of how other soft baby carriers 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 (2019–2024)
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 | 201 | 273 | |
| 15-24 | 0 | 22 | |
| 25-34 | 0 | 69 | |
| 35-44 | 0 | 17 |
Most Common Injuries
| Body Part | Diagnosis | Est. Injuries |
|---|---|---|
| Head | Internal Injury | |
| Elbow | Other | |
| Elbow | Fracture | |
| Head | Fracture | |
| Elbow | Dislocation | |
| Lower Trunk | Other | |
| All Parts Body | Other | |
| Upper Trunk | Other | |
| Head | Concussion | |
| Lower Leg | Contusions, Abr. | |
| Shoulder | Other | |
| Foot | Contusions, Abr. | |
| Head | Contusions, Abr. | |
| Head | Hematoma | |
| Lower Arm | Burns, Thermal |
Severity Breakdown
ER Visit Narratives
Real anonymized emergency room reports from the CPSC NEISS database.
5MOM FELL 3FT FROM FRONT OF A CHEST BABY CARRIER. DX CHI
9MOF WAS IN A BABY CARRIER BACK PACK ON MOMS BACK AND FELL OUT TO A TILE FLOOR ONTO HEAD DX: CLOSED HEAD INJURY
2MOM PT MOM WAS CARRYING HIM IN A BABY CARRIER AGAINST HER CHEST AND TRIPPED AND FELL AND LANDED ON TOP OF PT. DX SKULL FX AND CHI
6 MOF - MOM CARRYING PT ON A HIP HUGGER AND TRIPPED. PT HIT HEAD ON CONCRETE. DX CONCUSSION, HEAD INJURY
3MOM fell from 4ft height (was in a *** carrier). Mom had her back turned so did not witness. DX: Closed linear skull FX; Admit
4MOF WAS BOUNCING IN HER BABY CARRIER, WHEN DAD WAS ADJUSTING IT PT WAS NOT STRAPPED IN, FELL FOWARD ONTO HER FACE ON WOOD FLOOR LAST NIGHT. DX: INJURY OF HEAD.
44YOF USING FRONT BABY CARRIER TO CARRY THE BABY AND DEVELOPED DX: RIGHT LOW BACK PAIN
3 MOM - MOM CARRYING PT IN AN INFANT CARRIER AGAINST HER BODY AND SHE FELL. DX LEG CONTUSION
1 MOM STRAPPED INTO CHEST CARERIER AND FELL OUT HITTING HEAD DX: HEAD TRAUMA
22YOF WAS CARRYING HER BABY IN FRONT CARRIER WHEN SLIPPED ON PIECE OF METAL AND FELL, DX: LEFT WRIST PAIN; ACUTE MIDLINE LOW BACK PAIN; TRAUMATIC INJURY OF HEAD
2MOM DAD WAS CARRYING PT IN A CARRIER STRAPPED TO HIS CHEST WITH PT FACE FIRST INTO HIS CHEST WHEN PT 6YO BROTHER TRIPPED DAD BY ACCIDENT AND DAD FELL ONTO HIS BACK AND SLID DOWN ABOUT 10 STAIRS. DX FEMUR FX
6mof was in a *** soft baby carrier placed on the bed while dad turned around the child fell off the bed to the floor striking right elbow DX: right elbow injury
Consumer Incident Reports
Reports filed by consumers on SaferProducts.gov.
I put my 17 month old son in my new Ergobaby Aerloom carrier and when I went to bend down to grab something on the floor, the right strap snapped off and my son fell out of the carrier. I was able to hold him with my left arm; however, he was less than an inch from hitting the floor in a manner that would have seriously hurt him (ie. broken his neck).
I had my baby in the Ergo Omni 360 carrier (carrying her in front, inward facing) and she slipped through the leg opening. She hit her head on our hardwood floor. She was almost 6 months old when this happened and weighed over 15lbs. I took her to the ER and she had a CT scan & xrays. She has a linear skull fracture and a subdural hematoma with a small bit of bleeding inside the brain. We were admitted to the hospital overnight. We had to go back to the ER a day after she was released from the hospital and they did another CT scan. This was very traumatic and from what I can tell on my end, I was using the product correctly.
Today (5/25/19) I was at a birthday party for my friends son. After changing my sons diaper, I put on the ubela baby carrier. I put my son in the carrier and within a minute and luckily before I picked up anything it moved away from the table, the back strap that connects the two shoulder straps popped off and caused him to fall forward away from my body. I caught him with my hands and also the remaining part of the carrier he was in caught him too, but still this was scary. Ive only had this carrier since February 2019 as it was gifted to me at my baby shower.
My 6 month old fell out of an Ergo Baby Sport carrier whilst I was placing him into the back carry position. He broke his femur (thigh bone). I followed their instructions exactly and have attached a copy of it, you can see from the photo that in steps 3 and 4 the baby is vulnerable to falling and thats is what happened to my child. Although I have used this carrier for 7 years with 3 different children on this occasion when I buckled the waist band and put the left shoulder strap on, then looped his left left through the straps, the next step would be to put on the right shoulder strap. At this point he is partially restrained, when he started squirming out of the carrier while his left leg was still trapped and I was still holding his left thigh. He fell backwards on the the bed at an angle twisting away from me, with his left thigh trapped and it snapped. He ended up with an diagonal fracture of the femur. The orthopedic surgeon said they have heard of other babies falling out of the ergo baby carrier whilst trying to be put in. The ergo baby carrier is not safe for back carry unless there is an extra person there to hold the baby until all the straps are in place. I reported this to the Ergo baby company right away but they claimed they had never heard of it happening. Looking online I see a lot of other fractures occurring as a result of this carrier.
I had my 16-pound, 26-inch-long daughter in an Ergobaby Embrace Newborn Carrier in the Baby Mode - Facing Out position when I noticed her feet and legs were purple. I immediately removed her from the carrier. Upon closer examination, her feet and legs had petechiae and purpura.
I was carrying my baby on my back in a baby carrier. I tightened the strap adjustment slightly in a downward motion. The buckle snapped. I had to catch my baby to prevent him from falling to the floor. I lowered him to a table and removed the carrier and him.
I was using an infant baby carrier when one of the safety straps broke. My child was not in it at the time.
On Saturday January 4th 2025 I was carrying my 3 month old infant in the hope and plum Sunflower - Lark Baby Carrier: Short (XXS to L) and bent down to pick up a laundry basket and the waist band clasp body broke, my baby fell into my lap (thankfully) she could have called to her death had I not reacted properly the company responded that they could fix the clasp but nothing for the safety of my child or anyone elses
Product Recalls
Search for active and past recalls related to other soft baby carriers on the CPSC website.
Frequently Asked Questions
How dangerous are other soft baby carriers?
Based on 20 years of CPSC data, other soft baby carriers have a danger score of 34/100 (low risk). An estimated 97 ER-treated injuries occur annually in the U.S. related to this product category.
What are the most common injuries from other soft baby carriers?
The most common injury is internal injury to the head, accounting for approximately 320 injuries over 20 years.
Are injuries from other soft baby carriers increasing or decreasing?
Up 156% over 5 years.
Who is most at risk for other soft baby carriers injuries?
The 0-4 age group accounts for the most injuries, with approximately 474 cases recorded over 20 years. Females are more frequently injured in this age group.
What happens when someone is injured by other soft baby carriers?
Of all ER visits involving other soft baby carriers, approximately 8.3% result in hospital admission. The majority of patients (91.7%) are treated and released from the emergency department.
How can I report a safety problem with other soft baby carriers?
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 34/100 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.
