How to avoid buying unsafe toys for little kids
Whānau Āwhina Plunket is urging online Christmas shoppers to check out their 6-point checklist for toy safety.
Every year in New Zealand, children three and under experience around 1,250 toy-related injuries, according to new ACC statistics.
To keep babies and young kids safe, it's important to remember that some toys bought second-hand and from overseas retailers may not meet New Zealand's product safety standards, says Plunket nurse Keli Livingston-Filipo.
She urges people shopping for Christmas gifts for little ones to first check out their 6-point toy safety checklist, which includes warnings related to sharp edges, too-long strings and small batteries.
Following a string of recent headlines about toy recalls, including kinetic sand contaminated with asbestos, Gemma Rasmussen from Consumer NZ urged parents to resist the temptation of buying cheap toys from Temu and Shein, as they have "a really high failure rate in safety testing".
In New Zealand, imported products which don't meet our safety standards are "falling through the cracks", Rasmussen says.
"Often, the enforcement and recall is happening once something's landed on our shelves. We're sort of in a model where, until something goes wrong, there's not really a lot that's happening. That's quite a dangerous model because it means potentially someone is getting hurt."
Allen Trading Company was fined for selling toy cars which were found to be a choke hazard to young children because the wheels could easily come off.
Commerce Commission via NZME
Earlier this year, a Gisborne-based importer was fined $140,000 for selling small toy cars that were deemed a choking hazard - hundreds of which remain unaccounted for despite a recall notice.
Toys which have small parts that can easily be removed, broken pieces that create sharp edges or built-in button batteries or small magnets can pose huge risks to babies and young children, Keli Livingston-Filipo says.
A range of coloured sand products were recalled this year over asbestos fears.
Supplied
If you're shopping around for second-hand toys on TradeMe or Facebook Marketplace, she recommends making sure they don't contain any magnetic parts or batteries, she adds.
"Normally, you would see those in soft toys that can do stuff like hold hands or connect to another toy. You've also got the magnets of alphabet letters that can go on the fridge.
"As we know, children are very inquisitive, and if there's a little [battery or magnet] to be found and pulled out, they're going to find it."
The Six S's of toy safety:
- Size matters – Ensure toys are large enough to not be put in their mouth, ears or nose.
- Surface check – Look for smooth finishes and avoid sharp edges.
- String safety – Avoid toys with long cords or strings.
- Supervision and safety instruction – Check packaging and know which toys need adult supervision. " That's a huge one, because obviously if you're getting stuff from overseas or second-hand, you might not have safety instructions."
- Volume control – Make sure toys aren’t too loud for little ears.
- Swallow risk – Watch for small parts or items like button batteries that could be ingested.
