IT’S THAT TIME OF YEAR AGAIN FOR HOLIDAY SHOPPING. WHILE MOST TOYS ON THE MARKET TODAY ARE SAFE, they still cause a shocking number of injuries. There are several safety tips to think about before checking off your kid's Christmas list. — LEE COUNTY, Fla. -- It’s that time of year again for holiday shopping. While most toys on the market today are safe, they still cause a shocking number of injuries.
Every year, more than 250,000 kids end up in the emergency room for toy-related injuries.
That’s about 700 every day.
More than a third of those injured are children age 5 and younger.
Whether you’re buying your kid a puzzle, building blocks or action figures they’ve been asking for all year, there are several safety tips to think about before checking off their Christmas list.
According to Norton Children’s Hospital, make sure you read the warning label on toys. It gives important information about how to use a toy, appropriate ages and if the toy contains lead, which, is still found in toys.
Buy age appropriate toys but be mindful of other children in the home. While a toy might be appropriate for one child, it might unsafe for a younger one.
A child specialist at Golisano Children’s Hospital said it’s crucial to keep small toys away from young kids this holiday season.
“It’s important for families to store the toys when they are done especially, those toys that can be dangerous for younger children and have choking hazards to put those toys out of the reach of kids,” said Sally Kreuscher, a Safe Kids Coordinator.
Parents need to beware of button batteries. Each year in the U.S., more than 2,800 kids are treated in emergency rooms after swallowing button batteries. These batteries not only pose a choking hazard, but if swallowed, they can burn your throat.
“Kids are curious and they put things in their mouths, so again it comes down to giving age appropriate toys. At the Children’s Hospital, we’ve seen kids that have come in from a gift unfortunately,” said Kreuscher.
Kreuscher said to make sure to get your kid a helmet when you buy them that new bike they’ve been asking for all year.
According to the Consumer Product Safety Commission, most toy-related deaths among kids younger than 15 were from a bike or scooter in 2017.
