CHILD SAFETY THE TOP PRIORITY WHEN BUYING CHRISTMAS TOYS

By: Chris Faiella
Tatlow, Gump, Faiella & Wheelan, LLC

This Christmas when you are shopping for your children’s presents, make sure that they are safe and age appropriate.

Every year thousands of children are injured due to defective or unsafe toys. Several of the toys are unsafe simply because they are not age appropriate for the children. One of the easiest ways to avoid this problem is to always read the warning label on the box before purchasing any toy. The warning label will give you information about what age the toy was designed for and whether or not parental supervision is required. Well designed warning labels can provide useful information and be a very effective tool for child safety.

It is important that parents read and follow age recommendations on toy packaging. Children easily misuse a toy that is too advanced for the child. Recommendations related to age concerning toy safety are usually based on choking hazard, or the physical ability of the child to play with the toy or a child’s interests at varying points in development. Younger children particularly babies, toddlers, and preschoolers are at special risk for unsafe toys. Many of these children will have some type of oral fixation and may put toy pieces in their mouth. Small toy pieces can obstruct a child’s airway and lead to a choking death. Even observant parents very often do not view their children all the time, and a choking death can take place in a matter of minutes. Therefore, following the age appropriate warnings may prevent a tragedy.

Generally speaking toys which have pieces may present a choking hazard to small children. Some toys and games may not have warnings due to their market being that of older children or adults. For instance, Chinese checkers, checkers or chess generally designed for older children and adults may not include warnings regarding choking. Parents must therefore be proactive with respect to these types of toys and games.

It may also be a challenge for a parent when they have many children of different age groups. Some children may not be of an appropriate age for their older siblings toys. In general the bigger the pieces the better it is for the smaller children. Parents should also avoid or make safe games which include small parts or projectiles when purchasing those toys for their older children.

Parents who are purchasing bikes, scooters, skateboards or some of the motorized toys that are available for children should keep several safety points in mind. First, always follow the product warning. Second make sure the toy is the appropriate size for the age of the child. Also make sure when children are using such items they are properly instructed on their use and supervised. Children should also wear appropriate safety equipment. For example numerous children sustain head injuries every year that could easily have been prevented by wearing a bike helmet. Make it a habit like putting on the seatbelt when you get in the car.

With all toys parents should check for sharp edges and points. Sharp edges and points can cause cuts, puncture wounds or damage eyes. Parents should also check to see if toys have cords or string attachments. Several younger children have become entangled in loops on toys and suffered serious injury and death.

Parents should also inspect the toy to make sure it is sturdy and built of materials that will not easily break. If the item is built of plastic it should be made of shatterproof plastic so that no fall or accident causes it to fracture into smaller sharp edged pieces which can cause injury. “Shatter proof plastic” is usually labeled on the carton or toy itself.

More and more toys are using electronics and sound. Some toys can present unacceptably loud noise levels which might cause damage to the sensitive hearing of children. If possible the parent should try the toy out before purchasing to make sure it is not too loud such that hearing can be damaged.

Parents should also insure that toys such as art supplies, pencils, toys containing liquids or gels, as well as crayons and markers, are made from ingredients that contain non toxic chemicals. Parents should check the labels to make sure that these items are safe if accidentally put in the mouth or ingested. However, parents also need to be mindful that while putting a marker in the mouth may not cause injury to the child, the cap itself may be a choking hazard for a smaller child. If there are questions regarding whether the substance is toxic or hazardous, call poison control.

Finally, parents need to be on the lookout for defective toys. These are toys which fail to contain age appropriate safety warnings and toys that are not correctly manufactured or designed. The Consumer Product Safety Commission (CPSC) publishes a list of toys which it has requested manufacturers to recall. The list of recalled toys is updated by the commission and is available on the internet through the consumer product safety commission and recalls.gov.

Before purchasing toys this Christmas parents may want to look at and print out the list of recalled toys as they are dangerous and unsafe for children. Bring this list with you when you shop to insure that you do not purchase toys that have a recall issued on them. While most retailers are responsible and attempt to remove all toys which have been recalled sometimes recalled toys can make their way to shelves. This can occur because retailers have not been made aware of the recall or because of confusion among model types where some models of the toy are considered safe and others are not. Being aware of which toys have been recalled increases the likelihood the toys you buy for your children will be safe this Christmas.

There is no substitute for common sense and proper supervision.