Jefferson University Hospitals

If you’re purchasing toys for children this holiday season, it’s only natural to think about what a child will enjoy. But you should also think about what’s safe.

Be sure to read labels carefully, and check the recommended age range for every toy. And if you’re a family with children of various ages, remember that toys for older children could pose a hazard to younger children.

Other important toy-safety tips:

• Check under the furniture and between seat cushions for choking hazards, such as latex balloons, coins, marbles, watch batteries, buttons and pen or marker caps.
• Avoid letting children play on beanbag chairs that contain small foam pellets. If the beanbag chair rips, a child can inhale and choke on the pellets.
• An arrow, dart or pellet can be a choking hazard when shot into a child’s mouth.
• To prevent falling or drowning, keep riding toys away from stairs, traffic and bodies of water. Adults should always supervise children playing on a riding toy, and make sure the child fits properly on the toy.
• Remember to discard any plastic wrapping the toy came in. Plastic wrapping can suffocate a small child. 
• To prevent strangulation, infants should not have access to string longer than seven inches – especially from hanging objects in cribs and playpens. Strangling may occur if a string, rope or cord from a toy gets tangled around a child’s neck. Long objects can be deadly if your child falls or gets tangled up in them while in a crib. Loose or long parts of clothing, such as dangling hood cords, could also strangle your child when tangled or hooked on playground equipment.
• Eye injuries can result from toys that shoot plastic objects or other flying pieces. 
• Playing with electric plug-in toys or hobby kits may result in serious injuries. Burns and shocks may result from frayed cords, misuse or prolonged use.
• Chemistry sets and other hobby kits may contain toxic substances or materials that can catch fire and cause serious skin and eye injuries, and also can cause explosions or poisoning.
• Injuries can result from snapping or machine-gun noises made by some toys. Noise levels higher than 100 decibels can damage a child’s hearing. Caps are dangerous if used indoors or closer than 12 inches from a child’s ear.
• Toy chests and other storage containers can cause serious childhood injuries, which can pinch, bruise or break tiny fingers and hands when a lid closes suddenly. A child also can suffocate if trapped inside a toy chest.

Visit the Jefferson Department of Pediatrics web site