Although there has been a spate of toy recalls recently, the number of toys recalled is a fraction of the 3 billion toys sold in the United States every year. The number of children who die from toy accidents has stayed relatively low.
- Approximately 217,000 toy-related injuries are treated in hospital emergency rooms nationwide. But on average, only 15 children under the age of 14, dies each year from a toy-related injury.
Even though most toys are considered safe, parents and caregivers need to remain vigilant and up-to-date on recalls.
- Shoppers can visit www.cpsc.gov to sign up for email alerts. The alerts go out as soon as a recall has been announced.
-
Don’t hesitate to report defects or design features that seem dangerous.
Report safety concerns to the CPSC at
www.cpsc.gov or 800-638-2772.
-
Make sure to buy age-appropriate toys.
- Of the average of 15 children who die from a toy-related injury, most are related to choking on small parts.
- All toys are clearly marked if they have small parts; do not buy toys with small parts (or allow a child under age 3 to play with those kinds of toys belonging to an older sibling).
Avoid second-hand toys.
- Check the previously recalled lists to make sure no recalled toys remain in your home.
- Avoid buying second-hand toys or toys online that are not from dealers you know have been vigilant enough to remove recalled toys from their inventories.
- Don’t give away used toys to toy drives; buy new toys that have not been recalled. Only pass along or donate used toys that you know have not been recalled.
Take safety precautions with toys you already own.
- Identify dangerous small parts. To be sure of a toy’s size, use a small parts tester (available in quantity from the Safe Kids Resource Catalog). If you don’t have a small parts tester, you can use an empty toilet paper roll. Do not let small children play with anything that can fit into any of these cylinders.
- Inspect toys to make sure they are in good repair. Do not let young children play with toys that have straps, cords or strings longer than 7 inches, due to the risk of strangulation.
-
Actively supervise children.
Caregivers should actively supervise children playing with any toy that has small parts, moving parts, electrical or battery power, cords, wheels or any other potentially risky component. Simply being in the same room as your child is not necessarily supervising. Active
supervision means keeping the child in sight and in reach and paying undivided attention.
-
Practice proper storage. Teach children to put toys away after playing, to help prevent falls and unsupervised play, and make sure toys intended for younger children are stored separately from those for older children. Toy chests should be equipped or retrofitted with safety hinges that prevent the lid from closing on a child who is leaning over the open chest; if a chest does not have safety hinges, remove the lid.