Which Toys are Safe for Your Child?

As a parent, it’s such an untold excitement to observe your child blossom out from a neonate to an infant. On the spur of the moment, you observe your kid’s personality. And at last, your child responds when you induct play in his life. It’s a delight to looking at your baby responding to a mild sound of a toy, tinkling music of the wind chime with kicks and wriggles, or to see his or her face light up when finding out a new toy.

Many parents in general assume that the toys their tots are playing with are safe. Mostly, toys are safe, they are designed and manufactured considering the safety of the children playing with them, but many a time they are not. Parents usually have big dilemmas when it comes to choosing a safe toy for their child. It is significant as a parent to be informed to facilitate your child with safe toys for his growth and development.

Being the parents you should be aware while buying toys, as unawareness in this regard can become a real danger for your child. Even when a toy is an instructive and fun element for every child, a number of children are treated in hospitals because of toy-related injuries every year. 

There are a few things you must make sure of before choosing and buying a toy such as the small detachable parts that can be easily swallowed, sharp edges, toys painted with toxic paint and strings, other dangers that can become deadly.

Read the Labels Carefully

• So, toys that are not intended for children less than 36 months will have the warning “Not recommended for children below the age of 3 years” and the possible dangers that make up this restriction.

• Read carefully the instructions in the case of toys that have dangerous chemical substances. Instructions must also have the guidelines for first aid in case of any possible accident.
• Always read labels to ensure that a toy is suitable for your child’s age and also read the safety recommendations.
• Consider your child’s behavior and temperament while buying a toy for him or her, but still buy toys appropriate to the age of your child, as the age levels for toys are established by safety norms, and not maturity or intelligence.
• Avoid toys that contain lead, BPA or phthalates. BPA (Bisphenol-A) is a very common chemical found in toys that can harm your child’s health. Phthalates are found in toys as well in baby products like shampoo, lotions or medicines, licking them can cause harm to children. Toys containing lead and lead based paint are dangerous mainly because they exhibit children to the heavy metal lead. Infants tend to mouth toys and small objects, and some amount of lead may go into the body if they are exposed to objects comprising excessive levels of lead.
• Check toys for magnets. If the magnets are entirely covered and sheathed within heavy duty material which cannot be chewed or broken away, it's in all likelihood is alright.
• Most unsafe toys have small parts which can be detached and ingested. Check all toys for loose or small parts which you feel may be dangerous to your kids.
• Loud toys are not safe for your child's hearing. Exposure to continually high levels of noise can diminish your child's capacity to hear. So the toys having loud sounds must be avoided.

Check Toys Regularly

• You should check the toys your child is playing with frequently so that you can remove the broken or the worn-out ones that can represent a likelihood of harm or danger for the safety and the health of your child. If you find any such toy you should throw away those instantly. 

Remove Quickly the Packages

• The packages of the toys should be removed quickly as they may contain plastic bags, protection materials, strings and bands, and they can present strangulation hazard for your child.

Safety Tips

• Provide for your child a safe place to play and you must always supervise their play.
• Always buy toys that are not too noisy for your child which can contribute to hearing damage.
• Fabric toys should always be labeled as flame resistant or flame retardant. And also read their washing instructions carefully.
• When you buy a riding toy such as a bicycle, tricycle, skateboard, roller blades or skates, make sure to purchase a helmet as well.
• When you buy swings for your child always make sure about the material used and the safety clips in them.
• Be careful when you buy furniture for your child like bed, table, chair, easel board, vehicle car that they are made up with good quality metal or plastic and also see the manufacturer’s warranty. 

 

• When you are placing orders online for buying toys or furniture for your child always select a renowned website and read the description of the products carefully.