It’s that time of year again, where everyone is out seemingly shopping for those perfect gifts for Christmas. Unfortunately, for some parents, those seemingly innocent toys can & have turned into a nightmare. So before you wrap up those toys with the required batteries (you did remember the batteries right?), why not take just a few seconds and make sure that the toys you bought will bring only happiness.
Common Sense Tips:
- Check the labels – most toys are tested now and will be stamped by the UL, ETL, or another such organization
- Make sure the toy is age-appropriate and that they have the common sense required to safely play with them (One of the recalls I saw was for toy guns, because a 10 year old & an 11 year old fired the darts into their mouths & choked on them)
- Toddlers:
- If you have a toddler crawling or walking about, use a toilet paper roll to help find objects that one could choke on. If the item can fit through the roll, they can choke on it & those items are best kept out of site & out of reach
- Remove the plastic, ties, etc… from toys you are going to wrap up
- Balloons – this by and far the largest single choking hazard for toddlers, so you might want to save them for when they grow up
- Do not remove safety equipment, reflectors, etc… from the products & don’t forget to buy helmets or pads for certain sporting goods
- Review the CPSC list for items that might have been recalled after you bought them
The CPSC:
Since 1974, the US CPSC (Consumer Protection Safety Commission) has issued 860 toy recalls. This commission is “charged with protecting the public from unreasonable risks of serious injury or death from thousands of types of consumer products that fall under the agency’s jurisdiction”.
A quick look at the numbers:
- By the decade
- 24 recalls: 1974 – 1979
- 140 recalls: 1980 – 1989
- 246 recalls: 1990 – 1999
- 406 recalls: 2000 – 2009
- 44 recalls this year alone
- Reasons given (full numbers unknown – until 2006 the reason was not always listed in the title)
- 155 listed for choking, entrapment, suffocation, aspiration &/or intestinal hazards
- 26 listed for bodily harm due to breakage, laceration, tipping over, impalement &/or impact injuries
- 20 listed for fires, burns, explosion &/or projectile hazards
- 99 for products containing lead (97) or other chemicals (2)
Personal Thoughts:
In all honesty, I do have an issue with some of their recalls; for instance the toy guns listed above, or a magnetic game because it was packaged with a 13 & up sticker instead of 14 & up. Unfortunately, by relying on others to keep us or are kids safe instead of using some good old common sense is a detriment to not only us, but for them later on in life. With that said, what I found shocking was the number of toys that contained lead and other chemicals. The worst part is it was not just toys, but crayons, decals, and books for toddlers.
As you may have noticed, since 1974 at least 99 items were listed as having “excessive” amounts, or was construed as causing “lead poisoning” and other such terms. While 99 items in 36 years does not sound too bad, you might be interested to know that 85 of those items have been tagged in just the last 5 years alone & that was generally after a curious citizen checked it for lead. Granted this has sparked some changes in China (Reuters), but one must wonder why we settle for such cheap toys made oversees (the bulk if not all the latest recalls) with hardly any standards over there, but over regulate items here. However, that as they say, is a discussion for another time and another place…
Additional Info & Websites:
Tool Box Talk: Speaking of LEAD EPA’s Health Facts & a primer on working on or in a pre-1978 house
Having problems finding American made goods & toys? (There are websites for that)
Small Business Saturday – help support your local merchants that support you, it doesn’t need to be just one day a year