12 Steps On How To Tell If Toys Are Safe

By Philip Yiga | June 2, 2016

Toys are actually wonderful treasures of childhood but they can also be hazardous if not carefully chosen because some toys on the market today are not safe for use by children. In fact, unsafe toys may cause serious harm towards little-children most especially babies and toddlers. So, the only way to keep your child safe when playing with toys is a top priority and this why you need to follow the tips below on toy safety:

 

STEPS ON HOW TO TELL IF TOYS ARE SAFE:

1. Check the toys-package to see its recommended age: you need to actually check the packaging of the toy in order to know the manufacturers recommended age just before buying the toy. This will help you to make sure that the toy your buying is age appropriate and this means that it will also be safe for use by your little-child. In fact, most toy-accidents happen when little-children play with toys which are not meant for their ages. So, always make sure that you buy an age-appropriate toy in order to keep your child safe when playing with toys.

 

2. Always check electronic-toys to see if they have been UL-approved: UL is a worldwide organization that is meant to test products in order to ensure public safety. So, when choosing electric-toys for your kids, first check on the label to see if those electronic-toys have been certified and approved by UL in order ensure that your kids are safe when playing with such toys.

 

3. Check for recalls of a specific toy online: before buying a specific toy for your little-child, try to check online to know if it had any recalls before. In case you happen to find that the toy you’re about to purchase or you already purchased has been recalled before, then consider sending it back or don’t buy it because it will be unsafe for kids to play with.

 

4. Avoid buying toys with removable and small parts: you should try not to buy toys that contain small and removable parts for younger children because kids and toddler tend to eat everything they come across and this means that such toys can cause a choking hazard if eaten and swallowed. In fact, any toy that may fit into an empty toilet-paper roll is considered to be too small for children younger than 3-years old. So, only buy toys with an appropriate size for kids below 3-years and only buy toys with small or removable parts when a kid makes 4-years old because they will be old enough to play with such toys without causing any health hazards.

 

5. Always inspect toys that use batteries: you should always check toys with batteries in order to make sure that they batteries included are not exposed or leaking. In fact, leaking batteries are very dangerous to little kids because they contain lead and other dangerous chemicals that can cause harm to the child if consumed.

 

6. Make sure the kid is physically ready for the toy: you need make sure that the toy you’re about to buy or already purchased can be used by your kid physically. For example, buy a bike for older-children because they will actually be physically ready to manage such a type of toy. In fact, if you buy a child a bike when he/she is too young to have physical-skills of controlling a bike, then the kid will actually get serious injuries and means that the bike won’t be a safe toy for him/her at an earlier stage. So, always consider buying toys that your little-child can control depending on his/her age-range.

 

7. Choose bigger toys for kids under 3-years: when your little-child is still under 3-years of age, only buy him/her toys that are bigger than the mouth in order to prevent any possible choking hazards. In fact, consider testing the size of toy before buying it by fitting it into a toilet-paper roll/cylinder to see whether it fits or not. If the toy happens to fit into the roll/cylinder, then it’s not safe for use by a kid under 3-years.

 

8. Don’t buy heavy toys for your little kid: you should consider not buying toys that are too heavy for your child to carry because such toys may accidently fall over your kid and cause harm to him/her. So, always consider buying toys that your kid can easily manage or carry depending on his/her age range.

 

9. Never buy toys with a cord/string longer than 12-inches: toy designed with strings longer than 12-inches may easily wrap around the kids neck leading to strangulation and this is highly dangerous because it may lead to suffocation and death. So, always consider buying toys with shorter cords for little kids in order to prevent any fatal strangulation accidents.

 

10. Inspect all toys on a regular basis: inspecting all kids toys on a regular basis will actually help you to notice or see whether there are any missing-parts or broken-parts on the toy. If you notice that there are any broken parts on the toy, then consider throwing that toy and replace it with a new toy. It is very important because broken areas and parts of the toy may harm your kid when playing with the toy and this is why you need a replace it quickly.

 

11. Make sure all painting-toys are non-toxic: you should actually make sure that all kids’ markers, painters and crayons don’t contain toxic substances which may cause harm to your kid. Additionally, try to supervise your kids when they are using painting-toys in order to ensure that they don’t eat the ink or solid-substances used to create these painters because they cause harm to the kid’s life.

 

12. Avoid buying toys with magnets: most electric-toys contain small but powerful magnets which can easily fall out of the toy if it’s broken and then be swallowed by kids hence causing a health hazard in homes. In fact, if these small magnets are swallowed, they can get attracted to each other and cause great damage to the kid’s intestines hence leading to surgery or even death. In fact, it’s highly recommended to keep away toys containing magnets from kids under 14-years of age.