Clinical Reference Systems: Pediatric Advisor 10.0
Toys: Safety Checklist for Infants
- The toy is sanitary.
- The toy is washable.
- The toy is not too heavy for your child's strength.
- The toy is well-constructed. (A poorly made toy can break
or come apart, easily exposing hazards like wires or
springs.)
- The toy does not have sharp edges that can cut or scratch.
- There are no small parts or decorations that can become
loose and swallowed, inhaled, or stuffed into an ear.
(Examples include the eyes on a stuffed animal or the
squeaker in a squeak toy.)
- The toy itself is big enough so it cannot be put into your
child's nose, mouth, or ears. (Marbles and beads are
examples of toys that are too small.)
- All of the toy, including print and decoration, is
nonpoisonous.
- The inside of the toy is not filled with a potentially
harmful substance like small pellets.
- Old baby furniture and toys have not been painted or
repainted with lead-base paint.
- There are no slots or holes that can pinch your child's
fingers.
- A plastic toy cannot break thus easily exposing a sharp,
jagged edge.
- There are no pointed objects your child can fall on.
- No part of the toy, such as a doll's hairbow, is attached
with a straight pin or staple.
- All moving parts are securely attached.
- No string or cord on the toy is long enough to form a
noose.
- A broken toy is repaired or thrown away.
- The toy is not stored in a plastic bag.
- The windup mechanism in a mechanical toy is enclosed to
avoid catching hair, fingers, and clothing.
- A stuffed doll or animal is made with strong material and
thread and not filled with small, loose pellets.
- Toys made with cloth carry the labels "flame resistant",
"flame retardant", or "nonflammable".
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Written by Donna Warner Manczak, Ph.D., M.P.H.
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Copyright 1999 Clinical Reference Systems
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