Don’t let going to the emergency department for a toy-related injury become part of your holiday tradition. So choosing toys that will keep your children safe is key to a happy holiday.
Lynn Lawrence, MD, Emergency doctor at Cardon Children’s Medical Center, routinely sees more kids coming in after the holidays having injured themselves on the season’s newest toys.
“In the Emergency Department, we often see issues with toys, especially when children are not given age-appropriate gifts,’’ she said.
The numbers back her up.
In 2016, there were 174,100 toy-related emergency department-treated injuries and seven deaths to children younger than 15, according to the U.S. Consumer Product Safety Commission. Riding toys, specifically non-motorized scooters, were associated with the most injuries and nearly half of toy-related deaths.
Boys usually account for more than half of the injuries.
Lawrence offers these general guidelines for shoppers interested in making safe-toy purchases this holiday season:
• Check the parts: Toys can contain smaller parts or even parts that can become hot because of heating elements.
• Check for quality: Avoid sharp corners, rough edges. Choose well-made items that will not break easily.
• Most important recommendation: Look on the box in which the toy came for the age recommendations and follow those suggestions. Give age-appropriate gifts.
