While toy safety standards are a priority and should be met by all toy industries, children still get treated for toy-related injuries. Some toys present risks, including poisoning, strangulation from cords and elastic bands attached to toys, and choking.
Others produce excessive noise, which could damage your child’s inner ear and result in hearing loss. Familiarizing yourself with toy safety helps you choose suitable toys for your children. Below are five toy safety tips for parents.
Ensure the toys aren’t defective or unsafe
Toys that aren’t manufactured or designed correctly can harm children, causing injuries with long-term effects on the victims and their children. Approximately 217,000 children are treated yearly in hospital emergency rooms for toy-related injuries. Most of these injuries are a result of the toys being defective.
When buying toys for your child, check the United States Consumer Product Safety Commission’s website to ensure that potential products haven’t been recalled or listed as defective.
If your child is killed or injured by a defective or unsafe toy, you can file a product liability claim for compensation for their injuries. To establish a claim in your lawsuit, you must prove strict liability or negligence.
If your product liability case is negligence-based, a reliable lawyer such as this San Antonio Product Liability Lawyer will prove that the manufacturer owed you a reasonable duty of care, breached the duty of reasonable care, and the breach was the proximate cause of your child’s injuries.
Buy the right toys
Toys are usually age-graded to ensure safety. These guidelines reflect a toy’s safety depending on choking or safety concerns, the physical skills a kid requires to use the toy, how well a child can understand using the toy, and the needs, interests, and abilities of various child development stages.
Pick toys matching your child’s skills and age while ensuring they’re made of natural materials, including wool, uncoated wood, and cotton.
Additionally, ensure the toys are made of washable fabric and select toys labeled phthalate-free, PVC-free, and BPA-free. The crayons, markers, paints, and other art products you choose should be labeled non-toxic.
Look for visible toy dangers
Inspecting your kid’s toys enables you to spot potential dangers. Avoid sharp-edged or pointed toys because they can hurt your young one. Small toys and those with tiny parts may chock your kid, so don’t buy them.
Toys that make loud noises like cap guns can damage your child’s hearing, so read the warning label on using them safely. Avoid toys with long strings or cords as they pose a strangulation hazard. Ensure your child is of the right age before getting them an electric toy.
Supervise your child when playing with new toys for the first time
Independent play is excellent, especially for a first-time experience with new toys. However, supervising your child during playtime ensures they’re playing safely. It also allows you to spot issues with the toy, correct them on time, or consider retrieving the toy if it seems unsafe.
Store toys safely at home
After buying safe toys for your children and ensuring they know how to use them safely, teach them how to store the toys. Keep them clean and discard or repair broken toys.
Endnote
Toy safety is crucial for your child’s overall well-being. Consider applying these toy safety tips to protect your child.
