Skip to Content

Are Your Child’s Toys Safe?

Sharing is caring!

You already know not to give your toddler toys that feature lots of tiny attached parts to a toddler (at least, we hope you do).

Did you also know that even basic toys and toys for older kids need to be inspected as well?

No matter how old your kid gets, keeping a vigilant watch over the toys he or she plays with is important.

Here are a few tips to make it easier for you to learn about the safety of your toddler’s toys.

Have your toddler's toys been recalled? Are they safe?

Why Parents Need To Monitor Their Children’s Toys:

Keep Up with Recalls

Every once in a while you’ll hear a story on the news about toy recalls. A few years ago it involved almost the entire major toy manufacturer’s product line because US inspectors found out that the Chinese manufacturers had used lead based paint on the toys they were building and shipping over here. Not all recalls are that huge or get that much publicity so you have to do more work to find out about them.

The easiest thing to do is set up a Google News Alert for “toys being recalled” or something similar. This way if something comes up in the news, you’ll get an email about it. You should also consider signing up for the mailing list of all of the toy manufacturers whose toys you give to your kids—especially if they come from independent and small shops.

Thoroughly Inspect Each Toy

Don’t assume that something is going to be made well or properly. Before you let your kids play with newly purchased toys, look them over. Test all of the moving parts. Tug on attached pieces. If something breaks or comes off, take the toy back to the store immediately and make sure that the store knows that the toy was poorly made. You should also email the toy company to tell them what you’ve found so that they can let other people know about it.

Do this regularly so that you’ll know about any wear and tear that the toys have gone through. Remember: kids play rough—even if something is well made when it is given to them; it can become broken or faulty within a few days or even hours, depending on how hard the kids play with it.

clip_image002

Read the Package

Make sure you know what materials were used to make the toys you are giving to your kids. Like food, many toy packages will contain a list of “ingredients.” Read those ingredients and make sure you know what they are. Check for things like UL approval on electric toys, non-toxic labels on crayons and other art supplies, etc.

Keeping up with all of the things you need to do to keep your kids safe can feel overwhelming.

The safe toddler toys tips in this article should help you and remember: above all else, use your common sense! You’ll know if something isn’t right for your kids!

More Toddler Toys:

Toddler Sports Toys

Non-Gendered Toddler Toys

Educational Toddler Toys

Sharing is caring!

Torsten

Wednesday 30th of March 2016

Hi there! This post could not be written anny better! Looking at this post reminds me of my previous roommate!

He constantly kept preaching about this. I am going to forward this information too him. Fairly certain he will have a very good read. I appreciate you for sharing!

Austin apartment movers

Wednesday 24th of April 2013

I am sure this post has touched all the internet users, its really really fastidious paragraph on building up new weblog.

Susie @Bowdabra

Saturday 2nd of March 2013

Thank you for sharing your nifty project with us! Come by again next week and link up another awesome project!

Have a good week! Susie @bowdabra http://bowdabrablog.com