Mar 05 , 2020
Tips For Buying Safe Baby Toys
Toys can be both a blessing and a curse. Some toys can provide your child with countless wonderful memories, while others can harm them in a lot of ways. A lot of toys over the years have actually been taken off the shelves by manufacturers for being choking, poking, and stabbing hazards for young kids. Here are some great tips to keep in mind the next time you need to pick a toy for your baby.
1. Make Sure They Can’t Swallow It
Small toys, as well as toys with loose and removable parts, are an obvious no-no for a baby. If a toy can fit in a baby’s mouth, it’s more than likely to find its way into their stomachs and intestines. When picking out a good baby shower or birthday gift for a little baby, make sure to get a toy that won’t easily fit in their mouths. Do also check for any loose parts, as well as any toxic and harmful substances.
2. Don’t Pick Anything Too Heavy
A little additional weight is fine for an older child who knows what they’re doing. It definitely is not okay, however, for a delicate baby. Heavy toys run the risk of not only falling on your baby when you’re not looking but also causing bruises and trauma. A heavy toy doesn’t need to fall from a high height to cause injuries as it can also bruise and harm when dropped on a baby’s arms and legs. If you don’t want to deal with a trip to the emergency room, you’re better off sticking to soft stuffed toys for now.
3. Avoid Removable Parts
Tiny dolls and action figures aren’t the only choking hazards out there. Even bigger toys marketed to babies can pose a huge risk to your child’s safety. Toys such as “Spike the Fine Motor Hedgehog” and “Yeti” were both found by various safety groups to pose a significant safety risk to babies since they could easily cause choking and asphyxiation. Even though these toys weren’t small enough to fit in tiny mouths, they contained loose parts that could easily be removed and ingested. In the case of “Yeti”, this toy contained hairs that could easily be swallowed and choked on. Long story short, make sure your baby won’t be able to take apart and swallow any part of his or her plaything.
4. Only Stick To Bigger Toy Balls
Tiny toy balls are one of the most dangerous toys a baby could have. In 2017, the U.S. Consumer Product Safety Commission reported that two boys less than a year old had both died from choking on rubber toy balls. If you wish to buy a toy ball for your child, make sure it isn’t big enough for them to swallow and choke on. The best balls to buy would be those bigger than 2 or 3 inches.
5. Watch Out For Magnets
Asides from toy balls, magnets are another huge hazard you should avoid. When multiple magnets find each other in the stomach or intestine, they can stick together and seriously harm your baby’s sensitive organs. It isn’t enough to just hope your baby ignores magnets either, as their tiny candy-like appearance has often proven to be quite attractive for curious risk-taking children. If you find out your baby can remove tiny lithium batteries from a toy, replace it with something safer right away.
6. Strings And Cables Can Hurt
Stick to buying cordless toys for your baby as much as possible. If your child can stand up on his or her own, get rid of any mobiles or corded toys that they can grab. Toys with a string or cord longer than 12 inches can wrap around and suffocate your child’s neck, arms, legs, and torso. Babies and toddlers who accidentally get tangled up can panic and tighten these cords even further. If cordless toys aren’t an option, be sure to get toys with only short and safe cords.
7. Don’t Settle For Less
Hand-me-down toys and those bought at a cheaper price aren’t always an easy solution. Toys that have been beaten and used throughout the years can become quite dirty and bacteria-ridden, as well as defective and unsafe for your child. A stuffed animal might seem like a great gift for a baby boy or girl when it first hits the shelves, but it can soon become a hazardous and risky investment to make after a few years of being bitten and tugged by countless tiny mouths and hands. If you’d really like to give an older toy to your little one, be sure to fix it up and clean it yourself. Make sure there aren’t any magnets, loose parts, or dirty spots that can cause trouble for both you and your child.