Parent's Guide to Toy Safety for Children: Birth Through Nine Years Old

The C. S. Mott's Children's Hospital, which is part of the University of Michigan Health System, and McKesson Provider Technologies have developed a guide called the Pediatric Advisor. This is a site where parents can find a lot of valuable information , all relating to children and their health and safety. One of the most helpful and timely topics on this site is Toy Safety.

This information is broken down into the different age groups; parents can find toy safety tips for children age birth through nine years old. Here is some of the timely information you may find useful this Christmas.

Toy Safety For Infants Birth-18 Months Old:

Children in this age group do not need many toys. They are more interested in interacting with people and it is more important for the care-giver to interact with the child as opposed to giving them other toys and objects to play with. However, parents are not likely to ignore their birth to 18 month old child at Christmas. Toys for this age child should be ones that encourage the child's natural curiosity and ones that allow the child to use and develop their senses.

Parents should make sure the top is sanitary, washable, and not too heavy. Toys should not have small parts that can break off. There should be no sharp edges that can poke or scratch and the toy should be large enough that the child cannot put the whole object in their mouth, nose or ears. Of course, the toy should be non-poisonous (lead -free).

Toys should not be filled with small pellets, beads, or beans. Nothing on the toy should be attached with a pin or staple.There should be no string or cord long enough to go around the child's head and there should be no plastic bags used for storage.

Everything should be flame resistant, flame retardant or non-flammable. Balloons should be disposed of completely if they break and un-inflated balloons should be kept by the parent. The advisor points out that "more children have suffocated on un-inflated balloons and pieces of broken balloons than on any other type of toy".

Toy Safety For Children 18 months-3 Years Old:

The Pediatric Advisor points out that children in this age group usually prefer to discover life ( and play) at their own pace. Toys and games that are highly structured do not work well for this age group. Children in the 18 month to 3 years old category need both time to play near other children and time to play alone without interacting with another child or with an adult.

They still require close supervision. During this period of the child's growth, the experts on this site do not feel that the child should be forced to share. According to the information, children need to be allowed to become attached to a specific toy and because this age child is beginning to question everything and test everything, toys will need to be extremely sturdy for this age group.

Their tendency is to sometimes throw the toy as part of the "play" activity. All of the same cautions for toy safety listed in the birth to 18 months category still apply to this age group. In addition, the advisor states that toys that wind-up should have the mechanism enclosed so that hair, fingers and clothing cannot be entangled. Parents should make sure that all riding toys are well-constructed and that the wheels are large and are spaced far enough apart for the toy to be well-balanced.

Toy Safety For Children Three to Six Years Old:

Toys for this age group should foster a child's imagination. A lot of the three to six year old child's time is spent in playing, but since most of what they learn during this time of life is learned while they are "playing", the toys become a very important part of that process. The advisor states that pre-schoolers do not like rules that restrict their play.

They much prefer to make up their own rules and invent their own games. One very important note stated by the experts is that of the accidents and injuries that happen to children, most happen in this age group. For that reason, it is very important to observe all of the above cautions when choosing toys for this age group and it is still important to supervise the child in this age group.

This age group is one that loves to experiment and care should be taken to make sure that there are no toys with points that can be fallen on and that toys be maintained or discarded when they become broken.

Toy Safety For Children Six Years Old to Nine Years Old:

Since children in this age group are usually less supervised, it becomes very important to make sure that toys for this age group are age and developmentally appropriate. Many of the same cautions about toy safety still apply. In addition, the advisor recommends that toys for this age group be the right size (if applicable) and not too complicated for the child.

Adult supervision is still necessary for many of the toys for this age group. The tendency of this age group is to use a toy for something that it was not intended to do and if the toy is cheaply constructed, there is more chance that injury can result. Care must also be taken with the toys for this age group so that younger siblings are not exposed to situations and toys that can cause them harm.

According to the Pediatric Advisor, although toy manufacturers should be held responsible for making toys that are safe, parents have the primary responsibility for their child's play safety

Sources Used:
University of Michigan Health Systems
C. S. Mott Children's Hospital
www.med.umich.edu/1libr/pa/pa_credits_pa.htm
Pediatric Advisor 2006.2 Toy Safety:
www.med.umich.edu/1libr/pa/pa_menu8822_pa.htm