The latest breaking updates, delivered straight to your email inbox.
The hunt for that special toy for that special boy or girl is on, but the rush to land the perfect holiday gift can sometimes present a danger to children. Compact Baby Stroller
According to the Consumer Product Safety Commission, in 2020, toy-related incidents in the U.S. led to nine deaths in kids under age 15. Nearly 200,000 children were treated in emergency rooms for injuries, all age 14 and under.
A total of 75% of all toy-related injuries among minors are age 14 and under. Lacerations, contusions and abrasions make up 42% of injuries. About 47% involve the head and face.
Experts want you to look carefully at what you're buying to decide it appears safe.
"When you buy your child a gift or your child receives a gift, there are some questions you can ask yourself. Does this toy have parts that can easily break off and that a child could place in their mouth or could create a sharp point that could could poke or cut a child? Do the toys have an age label. If it's an electric toy, is it UL approved, and is the battery component secure?" said Amy Watkins, with Safe Kids Connecticut.
In fact, choking hazards are frequently cited as the biggest threat, especially in homes with children of different ages.
"You have to be particularly careful when you have an older child and a younger child in the house, that the younger child isn't exposed to choking hazards from the older kid's toys," said Emily Scarr, with Public Interest Research Group.
The Public Interest Research Group, or PIRG, found 30 products that have been under recall for months or years, still for sale.
For example, the activity loops early development baby toy. The tubes can detach and cause a choking hazard. PIRG found it online at two different sites. Digitdots magnetic balls also present a choking risk and have been recalled, but were purchased.
The Disney Baby Winnie The Pooh rattle set can allow small pieces to be ingested by infants. The Blues Clues Foot to Floor ride on toy presents a forward falling hazard… and the Kidoozie pop up play tents were recalled because they don't meet standards for flammability. All of those recalled items were easily found and bought online by PIRG.
Retailers who knowingly sell recalled products can face fines and criminal penalties. But so many items are sold on sites like Craigslist, Facebook Marketplace and Ebay that the Consumer Product Safety Commission is urging the operators of those and other sites to police the products that are sold and ensure those that are recalled are pulled from their pages.
Shoppers can find resources to flag "trouble in toyland" online at the Consumer product safety commission.
Document: Toy related deaths and injuries 2021
Document: Recalled toys purchased online and delivered
Baby Stroller On Sale Hearst Television participates in various affiliate marketing programs, which means we may get paid commissions on editorially chosen products purchased through our links to retailer sites.