December 2021 Parenta Magazine

National Safe Toys
and Gifts Month
December is the biggest present-giving month of the year, and
come Christmas morning, children up and down the country will
be waking up to see if they have made it onto Santa’s ‘nice’ list,
eager to play with all the new toys they receive. These gifts will
have been purchased by parents, grandparents, aunts, uncles,
cousins and many other relatives and friends, sent with love and
the hope that the child will get hours of pleasure playing with
the toy. No one wants the child receiving their present to end up
injured, blind or dead because of the gift they gave, but every
year, many children are unfortunately hurt, injured and some
tragically die because of presents that were unsafe and/or illegal.
December is designated National Safe
Toys and Gifts Month, and although this
started in the US, more and more people
around the world are recognising the need
to raise awareness of the safety of toys to
protect and safeguard our children.
In 2019, The British Toy & Hobby
Association (BTHA) published a report
called “Don’t Toy With Children’s Safety”
into the safety of toys it had purchased
online from several large online retailers
including Amazon, eBay and AliExpress. It
makes sobering reading for anyone who
has ever purchased toys online and is
even more relevant when we know that
58% of toys are now bought from online
sites rather than in person, in high-street
stores. Of the toys purchased:
• 49% failed to comply with UK safety
requirements
• 22% of the toys in the study had
serious failures that could threaten the
physical safety of children
Some of the most common
issues found included:
• The existence of small parts and small
balls in toys for under-3s which can be
a choking hazard
• Easily removable button cell batteries
which can cause death by burning
through the oesophagus if swallowed
• Overly powerful magnets that can
cause serious injury or death if
swallowed, by sticking children’s
intestines together
• Non-conformity issues included a lack
of traceability warnings
• Counterfeit copies
• Lack of warnings markings and/or
appropriate labelling
According to the report:
“Currently, online marketplaces that allow
third parties to sell products through
their platforms have limited insight into
the quality and safety of those products
and little incentive to assume any
responsibility for them because of the lack
of accountability.”
Another one of the problems perceived
by the writers of the report suggests that
people assume that just because they can
buy the products, they assume they must
be safe and compliant with all relevant
legislation, but this is far from the truth. In
reality, a lot of online sellers are either not
traceable at all, or they are not within the
UK or EU meaning that it is often unclear if
they are conforming to any kind of country
standards, and even more difficult to
prosecute breaches or enforce standards.
In the UK, Toy Safety Regulations
2011 are made under the Consumer
Protection Act 1987. They prescribe
“Essential Safety Requirements” regarding
general principles including the design,
construction and composition of toys, and
also particular risks including physical and
mechanical risks, flammability, chemical
and electrical properties and hygiene, to
name but a few. A “toy” is defined as “Any
product or material designed or clearly
intended for use in play by children of less
than 14 years of age” but does not include
such items as children’s fashion jewellery
or Christmas decorations. Therefore,
these items are not covered under the
same rigorous standards as toys but are
sometimes given to children as presents
unknowingly.
In order to combat the risks, there are a
number of things that you can do, and
advise the parents of your children to
do, before buying presents online, and
definitely before giving them to children to
play with.
How to reduce the risk when
buying toys
• Buy from suppliers with a good
reputation for safe and reliable toys.
Many will be members of trade
associations such as the BTHA whose
rules require them to meet high
standards
• If buying toys online, try to read the
reviews about the quality of the toy
and its suitability – remember that the
price may be a clue to the quality of
the item
• If buying toys second hand, extra care
needs to be taken
• Look for the CE symbol and UKCA
mark or the voluntary BTHA’s ‘Lion
Mark’ which shows that the toy meets
regulatory requirements
• Check the recommended age range
and don’t buy or give toys designed
for older children to younger children,
especially those aged 0-3
• Check labels on costumes to ensure
they are not flammable
In general, try to avoid toys with
the following:
• Strong, small magnets and toys with
removable button batteries which
can cause severe harm or death if
swallowed
• Loose pile fabric or hair which sheds
easily or long ribbons on toys and long
neck ties on children’s costumes
• Small components or parts which
detach too easily
• Sharp points, edges or finger traps
• Ropes or cords or that can heat up
• Things which are not marked nontoxic
Once purchased, and before
giving them to children
• Always check toys to make sure there
are no loose, sharp or broken pieces
that could hurt children
• Read instructions and any warnings
about their use
• Dispose of plastic wrappings
immediately before they become
dangerous playthings
• Some children, especially under 3s,
or those with special needs are more
vulnerable to choking, and less able
to cope with some toys than older
children
• Be aware of things like deflated
balloons and dispose of these safely
• Encourage children to play with one
toy at a time, to be tidy and put toys
away after play. This applies whether
at home or at school or playgroup.
Many accidents are caused by people
tripping over toys left lying around,
particularly on staircases
• Check toys periodically to see that they
have not become dangerously worn or
sharp
• Keep chargers out of the reach of
children and only use under adult
supervision
• Supervise children’s craft projects
including things which need scissors
and glue and things like chemistry sets
• Have children wear the right eye
protection for sports (face shields,
helmets, eye guards)
Toys are meant to be fun so make sure that
the gifts you give are safe, and enjoy them
together for extra special quality time.
References and more
information
• https://www.btha.co.uk/wp-content/
uploads/2021/09/Dont-toy-with-
childrens-safety-Online-Marketplaces-
Report-2019.pdf
• https://preventblindness.org/safe-toychecklist/
• https://www.btha.co.uk/wp-content/
uploads/2021/03/Symbols-on-Toys-inthe-UK-and-EEA.pdf
• https://www.rospa.com/home-safety/
advice/product/toy-safety
10 December 2021 | parenta.com
parenta.com | December 2021 11