Toy Safety
As your frantic search for the perfect toys for your kids begins to heat up, let's remember -- as always with our kids -- SAFETY FIRST!
First, there is a great website that I refer to every year and you should too:
http://www.toysafety.net/.
It's got a lot more than I can put in my brief blog, including what to watch for in purchasing safe toys and some of the most worrisome toys on the market this year. When it comes to safety, become a sophisticated consumer!
Here's a quick summary of what may make a toy unsafe for your kids- especially those under three years old:
CHOKING HAZARDS
Between 1990 and 2004, at least 157 children died after choking or asphyxiating on a toy or toy part; seven children died in 2004 alone. Toys that can be a choking hazard are required by law to have a warning label like this one:
15% of children ages 6-17 show some signs of hearing loss, perhaps in part due loud toys as well as high volume music on stereo headphones.
Some toys can expose children to dangerous chemicals that can be linked to serious health problems.
OTHER TOY HAZARDS
Non-motorized scooters and other riding toys, for example, cause more toy-related injuries every year than any other category of toy.
Supervise your kids closely if you give such a toy and be sure to outfit them with the proper safety equipment, such as CPSC-approved helmet with a bike; a helmet, knee pads and elbow pads with a scooter or skateboard; and a helmet, knee pads, elbow pads and wrist guards with inline skates.
REPORT A DANGEROUS TOY!
The Consumer Product Safety Commission (CPSC) has the authority to recall dangerous toys and products from the market. If you think a toy or product is hazardous, contact the CPSC and submit a report by:
Phone: 1-800-638-2772
Web: http://www.cpsc.gov/incident.html
Email: mailto:%20info@cpsc.gov
Related Topics: Unsafe Toys Still on Store Shelves, Einstein's Toys, Don't Make Holidays a Ho-Ho-Horror
First, there is a great website that I refer to every year and you should too:
http://www.toysafety.net/.
It's got a lot more than I can put in my brief blog, including what to watch for in purchasing safe toys and some of the most worrisome toys on the market this year. When it comes to safety, become a sophisticated consumer!
Here's a quick summary of what may make a toy unsafe for your kids- especially those under three years old:
CHOKING HAZARDS
Between 1990 and 2004, at least 157 children died after choking or asphyxiating on a toy or toy part; seven children died in 2004 alone. Toys that can be a choking hazard are required by law to have a warning label like this one:
- Even if there is no label, avoid toys with small parts that can fall off.
- Balloons (especially latex and rubber balloons) still cause more choking in children than any toy, especially in children under 8 years of age.
- Mylar balloons are less of a choking hazard.
- Children under 6 years of age are at risk for aspirating (inhaling into their windpipe) objects (such as rubber balls) less than 1.75 inches in diameter. Don't give them objects smaller than 2 inches!
- Keep mobiles out of the reach of children in cribs. Remove mobiles completely before the child is five months old or can push up on hands and knees.
- Keep cords short or out of your infant children's reach.
- Check the ends of pull toys. Remove knobs or beads from cords longer than one foot to prevent the cords from tangling into a dangerous loop.
- Check openings on cribs and play gyms to be sure that your infant's head cannot be trapped.
15% of children ages 6-17 show some signs of hearing loss, perhaps in part due loud toys as well as high volume music on stereo headphones.
- Avoid toys that make noise greater than 85 decibels.
- If a toy seems loud to you, it is probably too loud for your child.
Some toys can expose children to dangerous chemicals that can be linked to serious health problems.
- Avoid nail polish sets containing toxic chemicals, such as toluene and xylene.
- Avoid toys that use "phthalates", a class of chemicals used to soften plastic material (like PVC).
- Choose wooden or cloth toys, instead of those made from PVC
- Avoid toys colored with a lead-based paint.
OTHER TOY HAZARDS
Non-motorized scooters and other riding toys, for example, cause more toy-related injuries every year than any other category of toy.
Supervise your kids closely if you give such a toy and be sure to outfit them with the proper safety equipment, such as CPSC-approved helmet with a bike; a helmet, knee pads and elbow pads with a scooter or skateboard; and a helmet, knee pads, elbow pads and wrist guards with inline skates.
REPORT A DANGEROUS TOY!
The Consumer Product Safety Commission (CPSC) has the authority to recall dangerous toys and products from the market. If you think a toy or product is hazardous, contact the CPSC and submit a report by:
Phone: 1-800-638-2772
Web: http://www.cpsc.gov/incident.html
Email: mailto:%20info@cpsc.gov
Related Topics: Unsafe Toys Still on Store Shelves, Einstein's Toys, Don't Make Holidays a Ho-Ho-Horror
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