Toy Safety - An Important Issue During this Christmas Season
This morning I saw a post from Consumer Report's Safety Blog that contained an old Saturday Night Live skit that while hilarious, is an all too true reminder that many toys are clearly unsafe for our children. While giving full credit to the Safety Blog, I have to re-post the skit.
In its post, the Safety Blog also provides some good, general advice concerning toys. Their advice:
1. Give your children only age-appropriate toys. Toys with small parts pose a choking risk and should be labeled as not for children younger than 3 years of age. The age grading that you may also find on toys not only relates to play value, but also to safety. No matter how developmentally advanced you think your child is, don’t give him or her a toy that’s intended for an older child.
2. Be particularly cautious of toys bought from dollar stores. Our market surveillance has found that you’re much more likely to find substandard and unsafe toys at dollar stores than at major retailers.
3. The toy’s packaging can be hazardous. Although the toy itself should have been tested for safety, its packaging likely hasn’t been. Discard all toy packaging or at least keep it out of the reach of children.
All too often toys are manufactured without adequate safety standards or precautions. Many of these dangerous toys are imported from countries that lack our safety rules. The Safety Blog offers some valuable advice to avoid the potential for injury. In addition, the U. S. Consumer Product Safety Commission lists on their website toy recalls. The toys we give our children should be both fun and safe. Hopefully, this Christmas they will be.
