The Ministry of Health and the Ministry of Economy, Industry and Commerce (MEIC) have drafted a joint regulation to restrict the importation and sale of baby walkers in Costa Rica due to safety concerns, said the Health Ministry last week.

Health Minister Fernando Llorca Castro said, “The initiative is driven by a large number of specialists at the National Children’s Hospital … and is another example of inter-institutional coordination, since the MEIC was able to recognize the benefits of the measure for the overall good of our country.”

The hospital’s statistics show that from 2010 to 2016 there were 434 accidents in Costa Rica directly related to the use of walkers by young children.

According to the decree (40.229-S-MEIC), baby walkers will only be able to be purchased and/or used by children with a doctor’s prescription, and can only be sold by authorized retailers such as pharmacies or registered orthopedic equipment stores. The open commercial sale and advertisement of baby walkers is otherwise restricted, said the health ministry.

Businesses have a 6-month period from the date the decree was published (March 24) to comply with the new restrictions, continued the ministry.

The ministry said it will instruct its inspectors in the country’s 82 health areas to ensure compliance with the new regulation restricting these dangerous devices.