The holidays are an exciting time of year for kids and parents and to help ensure that everyone has a safe and happy holiday season, the Ohio Department of Health (ODH), wants to remind parents to keep safety in mind when choosing toys for young children when out holiday shopping.
The U.S. Consumer Product Safety Commission estimates that more than 250,000 children are treated in hospital emergency rooms for toy-related injuries each year.
“Parents and others will purchase toys this holiday season for children,” said ODH Director Rick Hodges. “By reading labels and being safety conscious, they can help prevent toy-related injuries and even death.”
The following tips will help parents and others choose appropriate toys for children this holiday season:
- Select toys to suit the age, abilities, skills, and interest level of the intended child.
- Be a toy label reader. Look for labels that give age recommendations.
- For infants and toddlers, avoid toys with small parts.
- For children under age eight, avoid toys that have sharp edges and points.
- Do not purchase electric toys with heating elements for children under age eight.
- Check toy instructions for clarity.
- Discard plastic wrapping on toys immediately the wrapping can cause suffocation.
- Charging batteries should be supervised by adults. Chargers and adapters can pose thermal burn hazards to young children.
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