Keeping up With the Toy Recalls
A Guide to Keeping up With Recalls for Baby Equipment and Toys
For many of us growing up, a new toy meant new adventures and new ways to explore our world and imagination. Whether it was a new toy fresh out of the box, or a sentimental gift passed from one generation to the next, this brought about the excitement of the unknown. In the hospital, the right toy can be the source of motivation a child needs to get up, move and play. It can be the source of comfort a child needs when sick or undergoing hardships.
Toys serve many purposes, but in order to be effective, the toy itself needs to be safe and fully functioning for it to elicit fun and not cause harm. An otherwise imaginative, wonderful and explorative playtime can become a negative and dangerous experience.
As a parent, guardian or caregiver, keeping up with toy recalls is a necessary responsibility for the safety of children. Although we can’t prevent every accident, we can do our best to inform ourselves in order to avoid major injuries or fatalities.
Keeping up with recalls for baby equipment and toys can be easy in today’s digital world! Along with reading the age range for the toys or items and ensuring the parts are deemed appropriate for your child’s needs, here are a few quick and easy tips to remember in order to keep up with recalls.
All aboard the search engine!
Before buying or giving a child a toy, do a simple search online by typing in the name and brand or model of a toy to see if there are major flags for concern already out in the community.
Inspect toys and equipment before use.
Just do some quick checks to ensure all the parts are in place, and take some time to think of any risks that could potentially occur. Be sure to contact the company in the event that you find concerns or experience an incident with any toys or equipment used. Your concern could potentially save another child’s life!
We also have an article written by our experts that can help you and your child avoid trouble in toyland.
Join an email list.
The Consumer Product Safety Commission (CPSC) is the federal agency responsible for product recalls that communicates to the public what products are deemed hazardous. Safe Kids is free resource that reports information from the CPSC, the Food & Drug Administration and other agencies. They have compiled archived lists so you can even check items that may have been produced years ago. They even have an email list that you can subscribe to in order to get monthly emails.
REMEMBER: RECALLS DON’T EXPIRE!
Although inspecting equipment and toys and supervising children during play are vital, giving kids the time and ability to safely play in the world of their imagination is the best incentive to be alert, informed and aware! Above all, enjoy creating memories with your children while enjoying safe toys and equipment.
References:
Safe Kids
How Stuff Works
CPSC.gov
