Toys

Toys

Toy Safety - How can parents regain control?
By Kate Dorion
as printed in the Fall 2007 issue of Island Child

Our children grow and develop through play, it's their full time occupation until they reach school age. Most of their play occurs through interaction with parents, caregivers, peers and of course, toys. All of our children have their favorite toys, ones that they gravitate towards for one reason or another or ones that they begged you to buy because their best friend has one!! I'm sure all of you can recall a favorite toy from years gone by as well. Toys are hugely influential in all childrens' lives and in their early development.

Toys and games represent a thirty (30) billion-dollar-a-year industry in North America. We may or may not put a lot of thought into the purchase of toys for our children or our children's friends. We may or may not consider age-appropriateness, safety, or developmental value. I think for most of us, toy buying, particularly for our own children, is largely an emotional purchase (for grandparents I think it absolutely is)!

With the current media frenzy surrounding toy safety, parents are beginning to wonder who is looking after the safety of their children? Don't the toy industry and the government have an obligation to provide safe toys for our children to play with? The answer is “yes” they do, but clearly it's not happening.

The CPSC (Consumer Product and Safety Commission) reported that in 2005 alone, there were at least twenty (20) toy-related deaths, and an estimated 202,300 toy-related injuries treated in U.S. hospital emergency rooms. In addition to the risk of choking (the most common injury), there are many other hazards that have lead to recalls and injuries, including lead poisoning, strangulation, impact injuries, burns, and lacerations.

Problems abound in our world today with globalization and the outsourcing of most goods for manufacture. As companies begin to grow and products are outsourced to other countries, some degree of control in quality assurance is inevitably lost.

So, what can we do as parents to regain some of that lost control?

TIPS FOR SAFE TOY BUYING AND PLAYING.......

Choose toys based on a child's age, ability, and interests.
Close adult supervision for young children's play, I believe, is the best thing you can do to ensure safety for your child.
Watch your child play with new toys to ensure they use them properly. It's not just the toy that matters, but how a child plays with that toy. A belt or scarf in a dress up box seemed benign at the time, but when I walked in on my daughter and she had it wrapped around their neck and was pulling tightly on both ends, I started to panic.
Teach older children not to share their toys with younger siblings and to keep them out of reach.
When buying stuffed toys or dolls, make sure the eyes, nose, bows and buttons can't be pulled off and swallowed or choked on. If you have an oral child, like we do, you need to be extra cautious and supervise closely.
Take a pass on any toys that are very loud, not only because they will drive you as parents mad, but because the noise level can damage a child's sensitive hearing.
Electrically operated toys must bear the Canadian Standards Association (CSA) label, which shows that they have been tested for shock and fire hazards.
Throw out or recycle all toy packaging, including plastic bags, twist ties and staples – better yet, buy toys that have limited packaging.
Inspect toys regularly for wear and tear. We look for teeth marks on our daughter's toys and can identify which ones she likes to chew and put those away or get rid of them entirely.
Because we can't always be sure what types of plastics our toys are made with or what kinds of paints have been used – discourage, discourage, discourage having your child put things in their mouth that you aren't sure about. Unless a product has been labelled as containing lead free or nontoxic paint, don't assume that it is safe.
Plastic toys – are made with Polyvinyl Chloride (PVC), the most toxic plastic. PVC contains something called phthalates that is thought to leach out of plastic when it is chewed or heated. PVC levels have been found in humans are are being linked to reproductive dysfunction, cancer and liver damage. Avoid plastics at all costs with infants who are exploring orally (alternatives are wooden toys, natural fibres such as organic cotton). If you do buy plastic toys (it's not like you can avoid them!!) choose ones that are labelled #1, 2, 4 and 5. If they are not labelled, skip the purchase or contact the toy manufacturer for more details. (see link below).
Choose smaller toy companies that have more control over their production lines.
Look for toys that have safety certifications and research what those certifications are.
Make your own toys, I found lots of great links on the internet for making your own toys, but again, be mindful of all of the above advice.
Finally, check the toy recall list from time to time to assure the toys that you do have have not been recalled. (see link below)

I found a great link to a non-profit group called “Canadian Toy Testing Council.” They independently test toys for their developmental value and safety. They also list all of the toy recalls on their website and provide you with a list of contact information for all of the major toy companies in case you have enquiries. (www.toy-testing.org)

Have fun, supervise closely and your children will flourish!!

October/November 2006