As the season for giving approaches and you make plans to buy toys for the little ones in your life, we hope you remember—safety first! Some toys may have potential hazards. In fact, toy-related visits to the emergency departments have risen nationally every year:

Source: Toy-Related Deaths and Injuries Calendar Year 2012. U.S. Consumer Product Safety Commission.

To prevent injuries, choose toys that are safe for the age of the child. Below are some helpful tips for safe toy shopping:

• Read all warnings and instructions on toys.
• Avoid toys with sharp or rigid points, shafts, spikes, rods, and dangerous edges.
• Avoid flying toys and projectile-firing toys; these pose a danger to all children, particularly those under five years old.
• Look for the letters “ASTM.” This designation means the product meets the national safety standards set by the American Society for Testing and Materials (ASTM).

Once you’ve bought the toys, help keep your child safe by:

• Explaining how to use the toy.
• Repairing or throwing away damaged toys.
• Keeping toys meant for older children away from younger ones.
• Not letting your child misuse toys in ways that could be dangerous.

To learn more about toy safety, please click the links below. Happy safe toy shopping!

Web Sources:

Facts About Toy Injuries (Prevent Blindness)

Safe Toy & Gift Awareness (rpmhd.org)

Cross These Dangerous Toys Off Kids’ Christmas List, Experts Say (Medline Plus)