In recent months there have been some highly publicised reports of toys being recalled due to safety concerns. How can parents and carers be certain that the toys they are providing for their little ones are actually safe?
The recent recall of certain Chinese manufactured toys has sparked fears amongst parents and carers regarding the safety of the toys provided for their children. But these toy recalls represent less than 1% of the toys sold in the UK. In fact, only about 1.5% of all accidents that occur in the home are actually toy related and toy defects are rarely cited as the cause of accident or injury. Most toy related accidents in the home are due to adults tripping over them!
But what can you do to ensure that the toys that you buy for your children are safe? Here are a few basic suggestions that will help you to choose safe toys:
Buy from a respected, reputable toy store: Shops like these will only be stocking toys that have undergone rigorous quality control and safety checks. Many of these toys will have been used and enjoyed safely by generations of happy children. Buying traditional, maybe wooden toys is often a very safe bet.
Look for toy safety markings: The Lion Mark can only be used by manufacturers who have signed up to the BHTA strict code of practice. The CE mark indicates that a toy conforms with the European Toy Safety Directive, but is not really a mark of safety. Age indicators provide you with guidance regarding the suitability of a toy to a particular age group.
Common sense: Inspect the toy yourself. Look out for small parts, sharp edges, flaky paint, poor quality manufacture etc. Don’t go buying rubbish from the market or a car boot sale.
Keep the play area clean and tidy: Not really related to purchasing safe toys but good advice if you want to minimise the risk of accidents.
For top quality traditional wooden toys that have been enjoyed by generations of growing children visit the excellent Mulberry Bush Online Toy Store.