Toys that appear safe might be anything but once a closer look is given. The truth is, it’s sometimes hard to tell if an item being purchased would be suitable for a child. Enterprising youngsters can often find a way to make seemingly harmless toys dangerous. Thankfully, though, the Massachusetts Public Interest Research Group is offering some safety tips to concerned parents.
Parents should first be aware of the strangulation hazard posed by certain items. Mobiles are a fixture of many nurseries, but they can be dangerous if they’re within the reach of children. Keep them a safe distance away in the air, and remove them once the child hits about five months so that he or she can’t reach up and grab the mobile. Any cord in a household should have beads or knobs removed, and parents should also understand the danger posed by drawstrings in hoodies and the like, especially if they’re snagged on random items.
Believe it or not, there is also a possibility that toys could still contain dangerous amounts of lead or phthalates, even in this modern age. PVC plastic might potentially contain the latter, and parents ought to opt for items that haven’t necessarily been painted with substances that could contain chemicals. Parents should be aware of toys that contain lead as well, possibly by checking up on CPSC recall alerts.