It's hard buying toys for our 6 year old and our toddler. While our 3 month is contented with his age-appropriate toys, Khym on one hand is fascinated with tinkering and disassembling small parts of his toys. Kliven on the other hand mouths them in glee. Now I know, a 6 year old and a 1 year old don't really mix. Kliven is still on his teething stage and often gobbles every sorry thing on his path. So, he pretty much slobbers his way through our home. And Khym just loves pounding his toys to bits and checking out the insides of his now shabby toys, Kliven usually guards Khym's every movement like a hawk. And while Khym's not looking, he hurriedly chomps on his find. I've been watching the two with my vigilant eye and I don't like what I see. I know it's unfair to demand that my older child gives up the toys that he enjoys so I could take a breather. It's not right and I would not even dream of doing that. So while I will surely encounter things like this in a few years or so, I learned to keep things at bay while straining my neck in the process. All the more, Kliven doesn't like his age-appropriate toys. He's more on grabbing his older brother's. So some toys are just left in dusty corners at home. Lonely and well, slob-free. Being the Supahmum that I'am (coughs!), I learned to safeguard my kids' safety and avoid toys that are not only choking hazards but in every sense dangerous to kids. And these are toys with:
- Removable or loose small parts i.e button eyes on teddy bears, beads, tiny toy "people" to name a few.
- Strings, ribbons or chords longer than 6 inches pose a strangulation risk.
- Springs, gears or hinges that can catch little fingers or long hair.
- Sharp points or edges.
- High noise levels that may damage your child's hearing.
- Small button batteries from battery-operated toys.
- Sponge-like construction i.e toy balls which they could bite chunks off and later choke.
- Stickers which are choking risks too.
- Projectile parts i.e Toy bows and arrows, dart guns.
- Latex balloons are also choking hazards. A little child could chew and choke on a deflated balloon.
- Damaged parts. Either you repair or discard those toys that are unsafe.
So there. Some pointers to consider before actually plunking those toys in your cart. Happy Toy-Shoppin' Mommies!
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