Although toys can provide fun, entertainment, and education, not all toys are safe for children’s use. In the last several months, there has been a surge of reports on the potential dangers of toys, and a great number of toys that have been recalled for safety reasons. Among the recalled toys are certain toy swords that break and therefore increase the risk of cuts, puppet theaters that have excessive levels of lead paint, and rattles that pose a choking hazard.
During the holiday season, toy buying is typically at an all-time high. That’s when it is especially important to be aware of the potential hazards of children’s toys and minimize the risk to children.
Toy Hazards for Younger Children
Here are some toy-buying hazards to look out for – especially for younger children:
- Choking. Toys that are small enough to be swallowed or toys that come in small parts should not be given to young children (usually under three years old) who could ingest the toy and choke. Look for choke hazard warnings on the labels of toys and avoid balloons and small balls. It is also important to instruct children who are old enough to understand not to put toys in their mouth.
- Lead has been found in a number of toys particularly in some children’s jewelry and more recently children’s gardening tools. It is difficult to know if a toy contains lead because you can’t detect it by looking at it. Lead-based paint has been the main source of lead poisoning in children in this country. Lead poisoning can lead to neurological damage, developmental delay, and other conditions. The U.S. Consumer Product Safety Commission (CPSC) warns against the use of home lead test kits stating that such kits are often inaccurate. The key here again is to tell children not to put toys in their mouth and to be aware of toys that might contain lead or that have been recalled.
- Magnets present a unique hazard in that if two magnets are ingested they can attract each other and cause life-threatening effects such as intestinal blockage.
...And for Older Children
Older children need to be warned about the potential dangers of their “toys” as well. Scooters, snowboards and skis, bicycles, skateboards, and others are popular among older children and can pose many hazards. The CPSC estimates that up to 1,000 American children end up in emergency rooms every single day because of bicycle accidents. And one child dies every day because of a bike accident. The CPSC states that wearing a bicycle helmet can reduce the number of head injuries by 85 percent. In addition, about 300 children go to the emergency room each week because of skateboard accidents. Again, insisting that children wear helmets and other protective gear such as wrist guards, kneepads, and other types of protection can help protect children against injury.
Educating younger and older children about the risks of their toys and the things that they play with is critical to minimizing the risk of injury while still allowing children to have fun.
To learn about current toy safety and recent toy recalls, visit the Consumer Product Safety Commission website at http://cpsc.gov. |
Sources:
1. Toy Safety. U.S. PIRG – Public Interest Research Group.
2. Recalls and Product Safety News. U.S. Consumer Product Safety Commission.
3. Evaluation of Consumer Products for Lead. U.S. Consumer Product Safety Commission.
4. Guidance for Lead in Consumer Products. U.S. Consumer Product Safety Commission. |
