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Playing With Danger – Kids Toys Examined

Ensuring children have safe toys is a concern that many parents have. And they have good reason to be concerned and a large number of toys on the market still are not built in a safe way, although thankfully more and more are these days due to tighter manufacturing regulations. However, parents still need to be careful and below we highlight some of the important things to look out for to ensure toys are safe.

Sharp edges. Even soft toys and wooden toys can have potentially dangerous sharp edges. Children can often be rough with toys and run around with them, and all it takes is a fall or a snatching motion to cause a cut or skin-pierce.

Small parts. It is generally common knowledge that children and small parts do not mix well. As children invariably love to put things in their mouth, they can very easily swallow small parts and choke on them. Also, toys that might not have small parts, but are fragile and can break up are just as dangerous to small children.

Chemicals. Whether it is dangerous chemicals in plastics, harmful fluids in toys, or simply toxins in the paint that they are decorated with, kids can be seriously harmed by inconsiderate materials. The large majoirity of toys are tested well for these types of chemicals, but some harmfull ones still find their way into the markets.

Mechanical Hazards. Many toys appear perfectly safe, but are made potentially dangerous by their ill-though out functioning parts. Good examples of this are toys that have springs or elastic band actions that can release unexpectedly and can potentially harm the eyes. Additionally, toys sometimes have dangerous hinges or gates that children can trap finger in.

All toys and Christmas gifts should comply with the health and safety regulations of their respective countries, so next time you’re buying gifts for her or him look out for the endorsement logos on the toy’s label first.

BIG BABY – Ep. 3 – “Terrible Toys”