MID Devon Primary Care Trust and Devon Trading Standards are warning parents and mum and dads-to-be not to buy substandard baby equipment. It comes as figures show that more than half-a-million toddlers are taken to hospital following accidents in the home every year. The two authorities have joined forces to promote the message: ?Buy Wise, Be Safe?. Highchairs, safety gates, pushchairs, cots and car seats can be potentially dangerous unless they are in tip-top condition and used wisely, says trading standards officer Sarah Birchall. ?Something as simple as a wobbly highchair could lead to serious injury if it was to fall over with a child strapped to it,? she said. ?Using a car seat that has even the smallest of cracks also presents potentially disastrous consequences if it was to be involved in an accident. ?Every effort should be made to ensure the equipment you already have is safe ? and if considering making a new or second-hand purchase, check out the item?s safety features before putting your hand into your pocket. ?If you don?t, then you could be putting your child?s life at risk. It?s that simple.? Jo Dixon, spokeswoman for Mid Devon Primary Care Trust, said the organisation wanted to ensure parents were armed with as much information as possible. ?Every day more than 6,500 children end up in an A&E department, many as a direct result of their use of poor quality equipment,? she said. ?So Mid Devon Primary Care Trust?s message is use your head before buying new equipment. ?It costs just a few pounds for additional safety features, stop and think seriously about the consequences of not shelling out that little bit extra. ?It could be the best money you ever spend,? she said. As part of their work to educate the public the two authorities have produced a video in conjunction with South West England Regional Coordination of Training Standards for use by childcare professionals. There is also a teaching pack full of useful hints and tips about how to make the home environment safer, together with easy-to-understand leaflets and quiz sheets. Health visitors, midwives and family support workers will then use this information to educate parents about faulty or risky equipment in and around the home.