Toys can bring a lot of happiness to children. While enjoying the fun of toys, you must ensure the safety of your children and prevent them from getting hurt. As Children’s Day approaches, let’s listen to the advice from experts from the American Academy of Pediatrics on toy safety.
Children toys must be carefully selected, used and stored. Only by knowing these details can we ensure that children have fun and are safe.
- Stop inappropriate toy play
- Watch out for small toys, loose or broken toys.
Small toys or loose parts can get stuck in a child’s ears, nose, or mouth. Children can be seriously injured by inhaling or swallowing marbles, toy parts, or balloons. Don’t let your child play with toys that have small parts until he learns not to do the movements (usually around age 5).
- Play less with balloons.
Children can easily inhale the balloon when blowing it up. If the balloon explodes while inflating, fragments of the balloon may be sucked into the windpipe.
- Check the battery frequently.
If the toy has a battery, make sure the battery part is sealed so the child cannot remove it.
- Be careful with strings, ropes, and straps on toys.
These things can easily get wrapped around a child’s neck. Be careful with cradle bells, tug toys, clothing (such as hat strings) or cords on pacifiers.
- Have a safe play area when playing with ride-on toys.
Riding toys such as skateboards, pedals, and roller skates move very quickly and can easily cause falls. Make sure your child always wears a helmet and uses the appropriate gear when playing with these toys. Do not play on streets with vehicles or near swimming pools, ponds and lakes.
- Keep toys in good condition
- Check whether the toys are in good condition. Check whether the toys are damaged, such as whether there are small wooden thorns on the wooden toys, whether the eyes or small parts of the dolls are loose, whether there are exposed wires in electronic toys, etc.
- Don’t let toys get rusty. Do not soak metal toys in water as this may cause the toys to rust.
- Check plug-in toys. Frayed cords, misuse, or overuse of plug-in toys can cause fire and electric shock.
- Use shelves or toy boxes to store toys. Toys cannot be placed on the ground blocking the road to prevent them from being stepped on or tripping over. The best toy storage tools are boxes without lids or shelves against the wall, which are easy for children to access and are not dangerous.
7 Tips for Buying Safe Toys
1. Read the label. Warning labels provide important information, including how to use the toy and for what ages. Read carefully and show your child how to use the toy correctly.
2. Buy “big” toys. Make sure all toys and parts are larger than your child’s mouth to prevent them from accidentally swallowing them.
3. Avoid toys that shoot out small objects. These toys can cause serious eye injury.
4. Avoid toys that make loud noises. Excessive sound may damage your child’s hearing.
5. Buy plush toys of reliable quality. Make sure the seams and any parts of the toy are secure and that the toy is machine washable.
6. Buy sturdy plastic toys. Sturdy plastic toys can withstand a beating, while thin plastic toys break easily.
7. Buy toys made from non-toxic materials. Go to regular shopping malls or qualified online stores to buy toys, choose well-known brands, and make sure the label says “non-toxic.”
Children toy for different ages
Depending on the age of your child, there are a few things to consider.
●The safety of the toy (such as whether there is a possibility of suffocation hazard).
●Children’s ability to play with such toys.
●The child’s ability to understand how to use the toy.
●Children’s needs and interests at different stages of development.
These recommendations are based on the general developmental level of children of each age group, but every child is different, and the same toy that is suitable for one child may not be suitable for another child. Therefore, parents should play with their children and observe their performance so that they can choose toys that match their children’s abilities.
Below is a list of toys recommended by the American Academy of Pediatrics for children of a certain age for parents’ reference.
0 to 6 months, toys are used for seeing, sucking, hearing and touching
●Removable or hanging toys that are out of reach of children;
●A rattle that can be easily held or shaken;
●Soft squeeze ball;
●Large, unbreakable mirror embedded in a cradle or wall.
From 7 to 12 months old, toys should attract the child’s attention and help with hearing and tactile perception.
●Clothes, plastic toys or paper books with large pictures
●Large wooden or plastic building blocks
●Soft, washable animal toys, dolls or balls
●Bath floating toy
●Squeeze toys
●Cup and bowl toys
From 1 to 2 years old, toys should be able to satisfy the child’s curious nature
●Clothes, plastic toys or paper books with large pictures
●Sturdy doll
●Plush toys (no small or moving parts)
●Rhythm toys, such as bells, drums, cymbals, and xylophones
●Nesting and building block toys
●Push-pull toys (no long ropes)
●Toy phone (without phone cord)
●Hidden or pop-up toys
●Match and arrange toys
For ages 3 to 6, you can choose toys that are creative or imitate adults ●Books (short stories)
●Simple chessboard toy
●Building blocks
●Crayons
●Play house toys
●Car toys (tricycle, car, carriage)
●Large number and letter puzzles
A reminder from Chinese experts
!!! Watch out for toy guns!
●Little boys love to play with guns, and probably every boy has at least one toy gun. But parents must be careful because toy guns can cause harm to children, especially pellet guns.
In recent years, research on the impact of toy weapons on children’s personality development has shown that the use of toy guns may make some children more aggressive and engage in violent behavior.