Data compiled by the U.S. Consumer Product Safety Commission (CPSC) for 2023 shows that at least 154,700 children aged 12 and under were seen in hospital emergency rooms that year for toy-related injuries. Another 10 children lost their lives due to the same reason.
Some of the concerns that result in these hospitalizations also end up motivating toy manufacturers or federal authorities to issue recalls for toys with a high propensity to do harm.
With the holiday season fast approaching, it can be helpful for you to learn more about the most common reasons children’s toys are recalled. This knowledge may assist you in keeping your own child safe.
Why Kids Transported to the Hospital Suffered Toy-Related Injuries
That same CPSC data cited above outlines how most of the fatalities described above were:
- Choking-related (such as on crayons or small balls)
- Ingesting water beads
- Entrapment incidents (including being trapped inside a toy chest)
- Attributed to drownings while utilizing floatation devices
As for those child injuries, at least one-fifth, or 53,000 of them, occurred while they were using a non-motorized scooter. Kids affected by these injuries were generally under the age of 15.
Why Recalls of Kids’ Toys Occur
If you use the CPSC Recalls & Product Safety Warnings online tool, you’ll find countless entries of children’s toys listed there. Why have recalls been issued for them? Some of the common reasons include the toys may:
- Pose a potential choking hazard because they contain small and detachable parts
- Are considered to be a fire hazard
- Have the potential of cutting the child playing with it
- Feature projectiles that could impale or injure one’s eye
- Contain potentially toxic chemicals like phthalates
- May contain contaminants, such as lead, that could
In the case of the latter two points above, these could poison our youth or cause irreversible harm to their development and future health.
What Can You Do as a Parent To Minimize Your Child’s Injury Risk From Dangerous Toys?
Most of these toy-related injuries or fatalities children suffer are preventable. There are some steps you can take as a parent to reduce their risk of injury from toys, including:
- Pay close attention to the product packaging: Look for any language about it containing small parts that may pose a choking risk to certain aged children or toxic the paint used to decorate it that may be dangerous under any circumstances. You’ll want to make sure you heed whatever warnings are listed on product packaging, no matter if the actual child playing with it or one simply around it is at or under the age mentioned.
- Inspect the toy once you remove it from its packaging: Take time to remove buttons, watch batteries, magnets, or strings attached to the toy if there’s any concern it could pose a danger to your child.
- Ensure your child has a properly fitting helmet before operating any non-motorized vehicle: Whether you’ve purchased a scooter, bicycle, skateboard, or some other equipment for them to ride, it’s critically important that they wear a helmet. Make sure it’s U.S. Department of Transportation-approved. Wearing one can protect your child from suffering life-altering head or brain injuries.
There are many other steps you can take to keep your child safe when using toys, some of which include:
- Making sure they know how to swim or are otherwise using a life jacket, floaties, or an intertube when entering pools or bodies of water (and supervising them)
- Ensuring they abide by the weight limits for different playground equipment, hoverboards, etc.
- Making sure they’re aware of the suffocation risks plastic bags pose
As you’re likely aware, the list could go on and on in terms of measures parents could take to minimize potential injury and fatality risks of children when playing with toys. However, as you also likely know, you as a parent may take all the necessary precautions, but that can potentially not be enough to prevent an adverse outcome.
Many products have design and manufacturing flaws or failures, or distributors fail to warn about the dangers they pose, which is often why children are harmed.
What Can You Do If a Toy Seriously Hurt Your Child?
Many parents assume that a manufacturer wouldn’t introduce a toy to the market if it weren’t safe for children. That’s not the case, though.
Manufacturers, marketers and distributors end up recalling countless unsafe items, including toys from the market each year after a child gets hurt while playing with them. If this, unfortunately, happened to your child here in Louisiana, you may want to speak with a Baton Rouge product liability attorney like ours.
Our consultations at Bianca | Matkins are completely free. So, give us a call so that we can advise you of your right to hold the negligent party who harmed your child accountable for introducing a dangerous product on the market.
