Every year there's a story in the news about toddlers who were injured while playing with the latest, greatest toy of the season. Even when the toy is marked as suitable for children ages 3 or younger, the result is disastrous.
As you can imagine, the parent or grandparent who purchased the toy is devastated about this accident. This year, there has been an onslaught of recalls for toddler toys. How is a parent supposed to predict the danger and protect their child from unsafe toys they might put under the Christmas tree?
You can expect that anything in a toddler's hand is eventually going into the mouth. No matter how carefully you supervise playtime, toddlers have slight of hand down to a fine art. Keep in mind these basic toddler toy shopping rules:
1. If it's a soft toy, like a Sesame Street Plush Toy, make sure it's washable.
2. Twist the eyes, buttons or any protruding decorations to determine if they're securely attached. Toy manufacturers are suppose to use items that have specific safety attachments, but can you count on that with all of the horror stories about imported toys?
3. Fabric toys must be made with flame resistant or flame retardant fabrics. Check the label and if you don't see these terms, don't buy it.
4. Painted toys, whether plastic or wood, need to be made with lead-free paint. The dangers of lead ingestion for small children are critical and lead to life-long damage. Again, there are concerns with toys imported from China that do not meet the lead-free standards of American made toys. The Fisher Price Elmo Learning Fun Laptop is a safe, fun option for little ones!
5. Crayons or finger-paints must be non-toxic. Red paint looks as tasty to a toddler as red cake icing. Look on the label for this notation: ASTMD-4236. This verifies that the color product was approved by the American Society for Testing and Materials.
6. Look inside any box or compartment of a toy to make sure there are no smaller, unattached pieces. Anything small that can fit inside a paper towel roll is a choking hazard.
7. If the toy makes a noise, make sure it has an "off" switch. That will help you remain friends with the parents who won't be thrilled waking up from a sound sleep to the sound of toy honking.
Most important to remember is to stay within the recommended age guidelines. Your two year old may be the next math genius, but his developmental age means he'll act like a two year old and place small parts in his mouth or have difficulty manipulating the objects for a more advanced game. These guidelines come from the Consumer Product Safety Commission based on years of research and continued testing. Be a smart adult and choose an age appropriate toy.
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