Toy Safety

Children and their toys
 
All children love toys and generally will love toys right up until they're an adult. It's just common knowledge. But did you know that there are several toys that can be of great harm to your child and potentially cause serious injuries or even death? Yes that's right, death. It's always important to make sure all toys are in a safe condition for your child to use and that each toy they have is appropriate for their age as some toys designed for older children can cause a significant risk to your kids. In this article we will provide you with some advice in maintaining your Childs toys by looking at the "Five S's"
 
Shape
The shape of your child's toys can mean a whole lot when it comes to safety and how they are played with. You should always check a toy over with its sharp edges and other sharp bits that may cause damage or injury to your child. Sometimes edges which start off rounded or non-sharp can easily get sharper as time goes on so regular inspections of these toys is vital in order to make sure you are constantly keeping your children safe.
 
Surface
Toys are made out of a variety of different materials and generally these materials will be painted or covered in some form of material or covering. Children love to put things in their mouth too which can be a cause for concern if you don't know what it is exactly that your child is placing in their mouth. Always read the labels to see what the products are made of and contain and whether or not they contain things like toxic paint or other products which could be of a concern if placed in your child's mouth.
 
Size
It's a pretty simple, straight forward thing to remember, but the smaller the child then the bigger the toy should be. This prevents the child from choking on any toy that they can easily fit into their mouth and risk choking on it. A general rule of thumb is any toy the size of a film canister or smaller is going to be too dangerous for a child aged 5 and under as this is the most common size of toy that can fit into a child's mouth. You should also check toys to see if they have any potential removable parts and if they do, you should fix them so they won't come off or take the toy away from the child completely.
 
Strings
Certain toys will come with long strings or cords that help the toy work. It's obvious though that these strings and cords can present a really strong danger for your kids as choking can occur if they aren't properly supervised when playing with certain toys. If the string on the toy isn't essential to its operation and is longer than 30cm then it should be removed immediately before even being given to the child. This will help prevent any form of choking or strangulation risk and so that you can be rest assured your child is playing with a safe toy.
 
Supervision
Again, this is really common sense as you should always be supervising your child no matter what! You should watch how your child plays with a toy: is it violent with it so that it will cause parts to break off? Does it place the toy into its mouth so that it may bite parts of it off? Or are they gentle with it so there is no cause for concern? Careful supervision while the play may prevent future incidents from occurring and give you a better understanding as to how your child likes to play. It can also give you some ideas as to what type of toys to buy if they require a nice strong toy to last that little bit longer or if they are prone to breaking cheaper toys easily. It most importantly though always makes you know what they are doing so that you can ensure they are constantly being safe and not getting into any dangerous activities that will cause them harm.
 
You should always check all toys regularly to make sure they are still in a good enough condition for your child to play with and won't cause any unwanted risk or danger to your children.