Toys and their safety standards

When I choose a toy to give to my niece or nephews or godchildren, the first thing I look at is the recommendation of age. I actually only two factors into consideration when buying toys for children - age appropriateness and my budget.

Reading about injuries caused by child what I consider pretty harmless toys made me rethink my selection criteria. It made me aware about the safety aspect of children's toys. After a few hours of surfing the Internet, I learned that:

1. Toys should not have sharp edges or points.

2. Toys for children under three years of age should not contain small parts or produce small parts when they break, like balls with bells in them.

3. Toys should not have parts that might pinch or wires sticking through.

4. Plush toys or dolls should not have ribbons, strings, ropes, or chains that can be wrapped around the neck of a child.

5. Any toy that can pass through a toilet paper tube is a choking hazard and ingestion.

6. Projectile toys such as darts and slingshots are for older children.

7. I would also consider if there are younger siblings who may be interested in the toy because the toy may be a potential danger to children.

The Consumer Product Safety Commission bans toys sold in the U.S. that do not exceed federal safety standards on small parts, low levels of lead in paint, the flammability limits, and hazardous chemicals.

In August of 2008, new safety standards of toys have become a law in the U.S. The law requires, among other things, levels of lead in painted toys to be reduced to 100 parts per million and containing phthalates to be less than 0.1 percent. It also requires mandatory testing and certification of security and tracking information for parents to find easily if you bought the toy has been recalled. For some parents, the new law may not be the solution of some problems on child safety, but it is a good start.

The Consumer Product Safety Commission has a lot of information for parents, such as safety tips not only for toys, but also baby cribs and play yards, bicycles, swimming pools, playgrounds and boxes. A visit to their Web site, http://www.cpsc.gov, is illuminating. There is a list of toys and other products collected at the site, which will be useful for parents.

Parents can also receive direct e-mail notification of product recalls through the Agency website. This is a free email subscription parents should have. They can also sign up to receive electronic reminders and new information security http://www.recalls.gov.

A blog from an independent, non-profit Consumers Union, is another great site for parents to visit. The site is regularly updated with news and safety tips of the Consumer Product Safety Commission, as well as information on the safety of children from publishers like The New York Times, The Washington Post, Chicago Tribune, San Francisco Chronicle, and Time magazine.

There is so much to learn about toys and their safety. Hopefully, we can all be aware of these rules to avoid tragedies .......