Toy Safety: From Birth to Early Elementary

How can you know whether or not a toy will be safe for your child? It helps to consider both the quality of the toy and how it will be used.
 
Once when I was writing toy reviews, I was sent an inflatable inner tube-like trampoline. It  was basically a safe and fun product, designed for children ages two to six who would only jump inside the protective barrier. However, my inventive son and his cohorts instead turned it on its side. One climbed inside and wanted the other to roll him down the street. Next they ran at warp speed and dove into the tramp, until a neighbor kid yanked it away just in time to watch my child's head bounce off the floor.
 
Safe for two-year-olds? Perhaps. But oh-too-tempting for rowdy older kids, and monitoring it created excessive wear and tear on Mom's nerves.
 
Are Age Recommendations on Toys Important?
Yes. Manufacturers' age recommendations are based on four factors:

• Physical abilities of children that age to manipulate a toy.
• Comprehension of children that age (understanding how to use that toy).
• Interests and play needs common to that age group.
• And finally, but most important, safety aspects of the toy.

In other words, you can't go on developmental ability alone. Your highly advanced two-year-old may know his alphabet, yet could choke on tiny alphabet-shaped refrigerator magnets.
 
And as children grow older, they may actually be less safe with some toys. Many crib toys, such as mobiles, must now be removed when a child is five months or older, since babies pushing up on hands and knees can fall on and be strangled by toy cords.  

 

Following are descriptions of how various age groups tend to use toys, lists of popular toys, and safety tips. It is crucial to be aware of potential problems with suggested toys. Yet rest assured that there are many marvelously creative and safe toys your child can enjoy.
 

 

Infants-Babies
In a baby's first year, his ability to manipulate and appreciate toys changes drastically. Initially, your baby mostly needs you: your face, voice, and arms.
 
Infants make random, jerky movements with their hands at first, then learn to bat at toys with a closed fist. If you hand a baby a hard rattle too early on, he may smack himself in the face with it! But by the end of that first year, that same baby will typically be picking up tiny objects delicately between thumb and forefinger.
 
Some infants enjoy particular toys on through toddlerhood, but the way the child interacts with that toy changes. A soft doll's expressive face may attract a newborn. Later the baby might bat at the doll, squish it, and chew on it. She will learn to forcefully grasp and pull off any loose parts and taste test those as well.
 
By eight months, she might put the doll in and out of containers and rip its clothes off (any tiny edible buttons?). And by twelve months, you might see her diaper her baby with a dishcloth, and tuck it in a drawer. That doll must be safe enough to endure all stages.
 
Other toys recommended for babies include:

• Squeeze/squeak toys, which, when compressed, should not fit entirely in the mouth.
• Unbreakable mirrors.
• Rattles and teething toys which won't pose a choking hazard by breaking and thus exposing small parts. Also, be sure ends of rattles won't extend back into your baby's mouth.

Do not leave your baby alone in the crib with rattles (even new models are frequently recalled), unless perhaps a small stuffed animal with a rattle inside. Check package direction's indication of when to remove the toy from the crib. Other good baby toys are:

• Activity quilts, which are not to be so fluffy as to pose a suffocation hazard and meet Flammable Fabrics Act standards.
• Always safe bets: cardboard books about baby animals; large grip balls (no tiny rubber ones); sturdy tub toys; large blocks and nesting cups.

 

Toddlers
This is the age of moving, manipulating, and imitating!
 
Toddlers love to copy parents and siblings. They enjoy pounding hammers, calling on toy telephones, and riding their "bikes" (foot manipulated or rocking toys).
 
Toddlers also are inclined to put small toys or parts of toys in their mouth. Beware of toy figures labeled for children over three (including those at fast food restaurants).
 
Favorite toys:

• Riding toys provide some of the most fun but pose the biggest hazard, usually when supervision is inadequate. Many children are seriously hurt by accidentally riding downstairs, or by trying to stand on rolling toys to reach objects higher up. If your child rides outdoors, be sure she can't scoot in front of moving cars since she won't easily be seen by drivers. Check stability and age recommendations for ride-ons.
• Musical toys must be well made and painted with non-toxic paint (meeting Federal Hazardous Substances Act requirements) or be durable plastic.
• Push or pull toys (the former are easier for toddlers to use) should have rigid handles when possible. Pull strings should not form a loop with a perimeter of 14 inches or more, to avoid strangulation potential.
• Chunky crayons and markers are easiest to handle and can't be broken off inside the nose as easily. Be sure they are made of non-toxic materials, and labeled as such.
• Puzzles with pieces that fit into individual holes are best for this age. Avoid sharp edges and points, or small pieces which could be ingested.
   

Preschoolers
Preschoolers continue to play with toddler toys, but graduate to real tricycles and more complex art materials and puzzles. They also role-play more: with dolls and doll houses, puppets, and play kitchens with child-sized dishes.
 
Preschoolers may seem safer and to need less supervision than toddlers. But beware, they may surprise you. My own heart stopped when I caught my four- 1/2 year old daughter turning on the microwave with an aerosol can inside. She'd been told that silly string works better if it is warmed up. Aaaargh!
 
More appropriate toys include:

• Child's tape players (but no easy access for the child to batteries, and not to be played with near water.)
• Magnetic shapes for magnet boards are fun, as long as pieces are away from younger siblings.
• Toy figures are a big hit at this age. Be aware that pocket sized doll houses and dolls will appeal to toddlers, so are potentially dangerous to younger siblings, fitting in the nose, ears or mouth.
• Construction toys take on appeal that continues into early elementary ages. But be alert for non-constructive activities (fencing with the Tinker toys).
   

Early Elementary
Safety at this stage is insured mainly by making sure certain toys are used as directed. Magnifying glasses, magnets, table games with small parts, microscopes, all should be properly stored away from siblings but should pose no danger to your older child if they are well made, with a few exceptions:

• Cap guns are now regulated to avoid dangerous sound levels causing ear damage, but firing one next to brother's ear is not recommended.
• Bicycles, skateboards, and roller skates all present their own brands of fun, as well as potential danger. Make sure your child is aware of safety rules (using helmet, wrist guards, etc.) and that equipment is well made.
• Electrical toys must be labeled safe with a UL seal (Underwriter Laboratories). Be sure such toys are used with supervision.
• Flying toys or toys which shoot objects should not use objects so small as to potentially injure other children's eyes. Children must learn to never shoot anything at another child's face.

 

Toy Safety ABCs
For your kids' sake, remember to:
 
Appropriately choose toys targeted for your child's age and ability.
 
Be aware of toy hazards, and beware of copy-cat products, designed to look like popular toys made by well known companies. Cheaper imitations made by lesser known companies may be made in foreign countries with lax safety standards. Look for sales from reputable companies instead.
 
Use caution when buying garage sale toys or passing toys down from one child to another: particularly those without accompanying use guidelines. Avoid toys with sharp edges and points, hidden wires or pins, removable parts that pinch, or parts which break easily. You can find out if a toy has been recalled by contacting the Consumer Products Safety Commission.
 
Control how toys are used and stored.  Can big brother's action figures or construction toys fit in baby sister's mouth? As a general rule of thumb, toys that can choke small children are likely to fit inside a toilet paper roll tube.
 
Store toys properly to limit toy breakage as well, which can create dangerous new small or sharp parts. That will also prevent trips over toys scattered on the floor. Beware of toy boxes with hinges, heavy lids, and no breathing holes: children often climb inside them.

 

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Article © 2003 Laurie Winslow Sargent. (Previously published in Christian Parenting Today magazine, 1995.)

About the Author: Laurie Winslow Sargent is a magazine article writer, book author, and public speaker with a background in occupational therapy, crisis work, and parenting. She is the author of the books The Power of Parent-Child Play (2003, Tyndale House Publishers) and Delight in Your Child's Design (2005, Tyndale/Focus on the Family). Visit her website: http://lauriewsargent.tripod.com.