When you make your holiday shopping list for the preschooler in your life, it's not a bad idea to check it twice to make sure everything on it is safe.
"Trouble in Toyland," a new report from the U.S. Public Interest Research Group takes a hard look at a wide-range of playthings that are unsafe for children. They've broken the toys into three categories:
- toys that may pose choking hazards
- toys that are excessively loud
- toys that contain the toxic chemicals lead and phthalates
Offenders that might be of interest to preschool parents includeMy First BABY Learn by BABY Born by Zapf Creations (contains near small parts), Kota and Pals Stompers Tricerotops by Playskool (excessively loud) and the Elmo Lunch Bag by Fast Forward New York (contains potentially toxic chemicals).
The group has also developed a smart phone website that you can access while you are in the store to see if a product is safe. For a the complete report, visit U.S. PIRG.
Have you purchased a toy only to discover it was unsafe?
Related: Toy Buying Safety Tips from the U.S. Consumer Product Safety Commission