If you’re like alot of people with too much to do and not enough time to do it, you may wait until the last minute to buy your Christmas presants. Well, here we are, the last weekend before the Christmas holiday! So you’d better get a move on! You can sacrifice time but don’t sacrifice safety in your toy choices. Here are some tips for monitoring safe toys and toy safety over the holidays:
- Avert buying toys with projectile, sharp, or protruding parts.
- When letting kids play with potentially dangerous toys or games that could injure their eyes, make sure they have the proper supervision.
- Make sure laser product labels indicate that the equipment conforms with Subchapter J of 21 CFR (the Code of Federal Regulations).
- Give kids the proper protective eyewear with polycarbonate lenses along with their sporting goods. To find out about the protective gear advised for your child’s sport, speak with your ophthalmologist.
- For recommended age ranges, consult the labels. Make sure the gifts you choose are suitable for the age and maturity of the child.
- Toys intended for older kids should be kept separate from younger kids.
- Seek out emergency care from an ophthalmologist if your child gets an eye injury from a toy.
The U.S. Consumer Product Safety Commission estimates that in 2021, roughly 206,000 children in the country received medical attention for injuries sustained from toys.
The Public Interest Research Groups publish a list titled Trouble In Toyland each year. Some of the riskiest and most dangerous toys for kids are highlighted in the report. You can view the list here Trouble in Toyland 2023.
The non-profit organization World Against Toys Causing Harm, Inc. (W.A.T.C.H.) is committed to safeguarding children from harm and educating the public about the dangers of children’s products. W.A.T.C.H. educates the public about the risks associated with a variety of toys, kid-friendly products, and leisure pursuits. In addition to promoting a more responsible marketplace and raising consumer awareness of potentially dangerous children’s products, W.A.T.C.H. works to make the world a safer place for children by preventing avoidable injuries and deaths. To view current toy safety information you can check out their website here ToySafety.org
Keeping kids safe and, also importantly, their vision, safe. Check out these linked lists for safe toys to make sure your gifts are safe too!
For more helpful eye care and vision care tips, please visit our main blog page.
Sources: https://pirg.org/
https://toysafety.org/
Image by Thanasis Papazacharias from Pixabay