At Toys to Grow On, your child’s safety is our first priority. In addition to meeting all mandatory and voluntary toy safety standards, we put every item we sell through our own rigorous, in-house testing process. Toys must be able to withstand being twisted, stretched, prodded, dropped and even thrown before we’ll even consider putting them in our catalogs. In addition, each product is carefully evaluated by our own child development specialists to determine the appropriate age range—so you can be sure you’re getting the right toys at the right level.
Even with careful evaluation, toys can become damaged or broken…and toys designed for older children can easily fall into the hands of infants and toddlers. With this in mind, we’ve put together a few important toy safety tips that will help you keep your home—and your children—safe.
- Choose toys that are appropriate for the age, abilities, skills and interests of your child.
- Follow age recommendations and labels carefully. Remember, most toys are labeled for safety reasons. Even if your child is developmentally advanced, you should not allow a child under age 3 to play with toys that contain small parts that could be choking hazards.
- Check toys periodically to make sure they are safe. Be sure that no small parts have broken off and that no sharp edges have been exposed.
- Never leave rattles or other toys in a crib with a child. If a toy or rattle were to become lodged in the child’s mouth, the child would be unable to remove it and cry for help.
- Be sure that squeeze toys, teethers and pacifiers cannot be compressed so that the entire object could enter a child’s mouth and block the airway.
- Never allow toddlers to run with toys in their mouths. Tragedies can occur if they fall and the toy becomes lodged in the throat with such force that adults are unable to remove the toy.
- Teach older children not to give small toys to younger siblings. A good rule of thumb for older siblings is that if a toy is smaller than their fist, it is too small for a baby or a young child.
- Have older children put their toys away in a toy chest or on a shelf in order to keep potentially hazardous items away from younger siblings. Watch for toys left behind by older children that can be choking hazards—such as balloons, construction set pieces, craft set pieces, marbles, any balls smaller than golf balls, cars with small wheels, and games with tiny parts.
- Balloons are one of the leading causes of choking deaths in children under the age of 5. Uninflated or broken balloons are particularly dangerous. Mylar balloons are a safer alternative to latex, but still require close supervision. Most experts recommend that you keep balloons away from all children under age 8. If you do give a balloon to a young child, be sure to supervise him closely.
- Strings and cords are extremely hazardous for infants. Never hang or tie toys with long strings, cords, ribbons or loops above cribs or onto playpens.
- Immediately discard ribbons, strings and plastic wrapping after opening a toy for the first time. Shrink wrap is an especially dangerous suffocation hazard.
- Supervise children during play. Remember, no amount of precaution is a substitute for your attention.
If you’d like more information about toy and home safety, visit the links below:
Consumer Product Safety Commission: http://www.cpsc.gov
U.S. Public Interest Research Group: http://www.uspirg.org/issues/toy-safety
Home Safety Council: http://www.homesafetycouncil.org
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