The holiday buying season is upon us and soon parents will be hitting the stores in droves, searching for all those cute, cuddly, fun and exciting toys for their kids-but buyer beware.
Every year the consumer group W.A.T.C.H (world against toys causing harm) comes out with their list of the year’s worst toys and 2009 is no exception. I chose to blog about this topic since the safety of children should be a top priority, not only during the holidays, but 365 days a year. This year’s list includes nationally known names and products such as Disney-Pixar, Curious George and a certain Batman doll. This tall 30” figure includes a mask that has two 1” ears made of pointed, rigid plastic. Toddlers may fall on these inflexible protrusions, with the potential for penetrating and blunt-force injuries.
Another toy on the market that poses a potentially dangerous risk to kids is “Perfect Mini Doll”, sold for oral-age children as young as two years old. It comes complete with its own bathtub. The tub, however, has a small plastic shower attachment, connected only by a thin plastic cord. Once detached, the shower head fails even the industry’s inadequate small parts “choke tube” standard.
The list exposes toy hazards seen year after year, despite continued efforts to educate and inform the industry and provide examples of some hazards in toys being sold to consumers. To view this year’s list, visit www.toysafety.org. Other lists of potentially dangerous toys and child products can be found through the consumer product safety commission’s website (www.cpsc.gov).
As the holiday season approaches, parents, grand parents and anyone buying gifts for children must be diligent in choosing, safe toys for children. This can be accomplished by first doing some research on the toys you plan on buying to make sure they don’t pose a risk.
Child injuries are very serious and can leave a parent feeling helpless. If your child has been injured in an accident, please contact child injury attorney Jeffrey Killino at 877-875-2927.
