During the holiday season, many parents are prepared to treat their children with some of their favorite must-have toys on their wish lists.
However, it is important to always keep safety top of mind, to read all warning labels, and to make sure toys are age-appropriate. Some of the most common types of toy-related injuries include choking, falls and eye injuries.
Julio Vializ, MD, clinical lead physician of Pediatric Emergency Medicine at St. Mary Medical Center, discusses some common and frightening complications his team has encountered and how to avoid these.
Choking hazards
“The most common injury we see is either ingestion of the toy or part of it is fragile and breaks easily,” Dr. Vializ says. “We particularly worry about magnets or batteries that can come loose and foam items that may be ingested and cause choking.”
According to the U.S. Consumer Product Safety Commission, about 209,000 children under the age of 14 suffered from toy-related injuries in 2022. Choking is the fourth most common toy-related injury. Toy packaging is required to include any potential hazards including if a toy has smaller parts that can easily be swallowed.
“It is important to visualize the size of the toy and take into consideration if it is likely to be taken apart, broken or inserted into the mouth, nose or ears.” – Julio Vializ, MD
Batteries
Many parents preparing for the holiday typically stock up on batteries in anticipation of their children’s wanting to play with their new gifts.
While batteries are essential for the operation of many popular toys, smaller batteries are a shiny attention-grabbing danger for younger children and are easy to place in their mouths and swallow.
They are a choking hazard and can react with fluids in the body to create a corrosive substance leading to a serious illness or even death.
Falls
Many popular toys involve climbing or riding such as bikes, scooters, skates and playground equipment. While these items provide a lot of fun and an excuse to get outdoors, they also increase the chance of a cut, scrape, fractured bone or severe head injury.
The best way to prevent one of these injuries is the use of proper padding including kneepads, elbow pads and most importantly helmets.
Eye injuries
Eye injuries don’t just relate to the famous “you’ll shoot your eye out” line in the movie, A Christmas Story. Sporting equipment and toys with either rubber bands or bungee cords are some of the most common causes of toy-related eye injuries.
“Toys with projectiles are often a concern as they can cause facial or eye injuries,” Dr. Vializ says.
Did You Know?
- Each year, approximately 3 billion toys are sold in the U.S.
- In 2023 an estimated 154,700 children 12 years or younger were treated in emergency rooms due to toy-related injuries.
- Non-motorized scooters accounted for the largest share of injuries (53,000) in 2023 across all age groups.
Source: CPSC
When purchasing toys
“For these reasons, it’s important to visualize the size of the toy and take into consideration if it is likely to be taken apart, broken or inserted into the mouth, nose or ears,” Dr. Vializ says.
Check the Consumer Product Safety Commission (CPSC.gov), which offers resources for selecting toys. If purchasing a toy online, it’s helpful to check reviews from recent buyers.