As we venture into the holiday season, it’s a great time to spread awareness and recognize that December is “Safe Toys and Gifts” month. While selecting the perfect gift for the children in your life, safety needs to be in the forefront of your mind.
Injuries and accidents are common for children, but taking the initiative as a parent and gift giver this holiday may increase toy safety. Simply watching for toy dangers can help in overall toy safety.
When you are out shopping this holiday season, ask yourself the following questions:
- Is this toy age appropriate?
- What are the toy dangers? Are there sharp edges or sharp points?
- Is it thinly/cheaply made where it could break easily?
- Does it make loud/shrill noises? (that may cause hearing damage)
When thinking about the appropriateness of the toy, guidelines are often based on the age of the child. If the child can successfully play with the toy, understand it, find it interesting and it is not a choking hazard, then it’s a gift to give.
For children aged 3 and younger, the size of the toy definitely matters. Avoid small toys and toys with small parts; those are a huge choking hazard. Other toys to avoid are ones with cords, strings, magnets and those that fly or shoot.
At the end of the day, finding a toy with absolutely no danger is simply impossible. It is possible to watch children as they play with them. By keeping the child’s age in mind and understanding toy danger, you can know that you picked out the safest toy for the child(ren) in your life.
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