Even though legitimate toymakers deserve kudos for making their products much safer over the years, too often, Americans end up buying dangerous toys for children for the holidays. U.S. PIRG Education Fund’s 36th annual Trouble in Toyland report shows that many of those toys are counterfeit or recalled products that still make their way into consumers’ shopping carts.
So far in 2021, the U.S. Consumer Product Safety Commission (CPSC) has recalled 13 toys. PIRG Education Fund toy researchers found two additional recalled products — a hoverboard and a children’s watch accessory — that many would consider toys. The recalled toys posed risks including high levels of lead, potential foreign-body ingestion by a child and choking because of small parts from easily broken toys.
These days, toys with safety risks are less likely to be found at traditional retail stores, which stock toys from importers and manufacturers that are required to have a Children’s Product Certificate (CPC). The CPC affirms that the toy follows all applicable federal safety standards for children.
But when shopping on websites that act as the middleman between the customer and the seller, consumers can encounter hidden hazards. The middlemen do not consider themselves to be traditional retailers and therefore often do not follow the same rules that a traditional retailer would. Whereas the retailers must receive a certificate of compliance from a manufacturer before selling a toy, not every toy sold online may be covered by a CPC and the toy described in the website listing might not be the toy that arrives at your door. The toys could even contain toxic chemicals such as heavy metals or phthalates, and most parents don’t have access to labs that could test for harmful substances.
In this edition of Trouble in Toyland, we share our best tips on how to identify potentially unsafe toys sold online and in stores.
In addition to people who sell dangerous products with nefarious intent, some people just trying to get rid of old things online don’t check whether what they’re selling has been recalled. And buyers of second-hand toys may not know about any recalls.
Another problem: toy safety standards regarding toxic chemicals have changed a lot in the past decade. This means that toys made before August 2011 may have higher levels of toxic chemicals.
Small parts that children can choke on present one of the biggest toy dangers. A toy meant for children ages 3 to 6 is required to have a warning label if it includes small parts. You need to be especially careful about this when buying toys online, because websites often post the wrong age restrictions.
When toy shopping for the kids in your life, use this guide to help avoid dangerous toys.
What to do Scrutinize the seller, reviews and the price. Toys that are significantly less expensive than they should be could be counterfeits.
What to do When shopping online for second-hand toys, check out saferproducts.gov to find out about any past recalls.
What to do Households with small children should not have high-powered magnets. With toys that have button/coin batteries, check that the battery compartment has a screw and is child proof.
What to do Use a toilet paper tube to test small parts in the home. And check whether toys are broken, especially if they will be used by or be around a child under the age of 3.
What to do If a toy you’re considering buying sounds loud, don’t buy it. If you already have a noisy toy at home that you’re concerned may be too loud, you can take the batteries out so it doesn’t make noise or put duct tape over the speaker to stifle the sound.
What to do Before buying a smart toy, read its description to understand what technology it uses and how your child will interact with it. It’s a good idea to search the toy’s name and the manufacturer online to see if either have sparked any privacy concerns. Look for COPPA approval, too.
Most toys that contain small parts are labeled as choking hazards. But that’s not guaranteed, as we’ve seen. Gift-givers should use care when purchasing online, even if the toy says it’s meant for a 1-year-old or 2-year old. And parents with young children should thoroughly inspect toys, regardless of what the label does or doesn’t say. Parents should make decisions based on how they believe their child of any age will interact with the toy.
