Holiday Toy Shopping and Toy Safety Tips from the Toy Industry Association Available
Websites Offers Parents Information on Toy Safety, Trends and Play
For parents, grandparents, aunts and uncles, ‘tis the season to go toy shopping. With the economy keeping many families on tight budgets, consumers are looking for the perfect toys and games that offer the children in their lives the most safe and fun play value.
Reports from the federal government’s U.S. Consumer Product Safety Commission and consumer groups such as the Public Interest Research Group (PIRG) and Consumers Union agree that toys on the shelf this holiday season are safer than they have ever been.
“The right toy – one that is age appropriate, properly designed and manufactured, and matches the interests of the child – will provide hours of fun and safe play,” explains Joan Lawrence, vice president of safety at the Toy Industry Association and a mother of three young children herself. She advises all shoppers to keep safety top of mind when selecting toys this holiday season and throughout the year.
Detailed information on toy safety and toy buying tips are just a click away – on the newly enhanced consumer website from the Toy Industry Association, www.ToyInfo.org.
Among the resources available on the www.ToyInfo.org site are the following toy safety tips for this holiday season:
At the store
-- Check and follow age guidance and other safety information on packaging (age grading is based mostly on safety and not on how smart a child may be)
--Avoid toys with small parts for children under age three (3) and children who mouth toys
--Inspect toys at the store, looking for sturdy parts and tightly secured joints
Make sure that batteries in toys are firmly enclosed and inaccessible to children
--For children under 18 months of age, avoid toys with strings, straps or cords longer than twelve (12) inches
--Check to see that plush (stuffed) toys have age-appropriate features such as embroidered or secured eyes and noses for younger children and seams that are reinforced to withstand an older child’s play
--Avoid toys with sharp points or rough edges, especially for younger children
Shop at a reputable retailer you know and trust
Once the presents are opened
--Read instructions carefully; save directions, warranties and assembly hardware
--Role play the right way to use the toy or game and explain to your child the importance of proper use
--Dispose of all unnecessary toy packaging and gift-wrap as soon as possible (piles of discarded gift-wrap can conceal sharp objects or the edges of hard plastic packaging that can cut small fingers)
--Store toys safely in an easily accessible storage bin; lidded toy storage should be non-locking and have special safety features such as air holes, spring-loaded hinges and clearances at the hinges to make sure little fingers won’t get caught
--Keep a separate toy chest for older children whose toys may contain small parts; enlist their help in keeping their toys out of reach of younger siblings
After the holidays and throughout the year
--Engage grandparents and caregivers in a discussion about toys and safe play; help them become familiar with these toy safety tips and the importance of age- and interest-appropriate toys
--Be a good role model for the safe use of toys and stay engaged in active adult supervision of children at play
--Keep plush (stuffed) toys out of the cribs of infants
--Keep toys organized and off stairs or high-traffic areas in your home
--Keep toys away from unsupervised areas (pools, bathtubs, driveways or streets with traffic) so they don’t lure a child into a dangerous situation
--Engage older children in keeping their toys away from younger siblings
--Inspect toys regularly and repair or replace damaged or broken parts immediately
A video of holiday shopping tips can be found on the www.ToyInfo.org website (see the tab for “Toys”).
“Moms of Toy Safety” Highlight Toy Industry’s Commitment to Safe and Fun Play
In the toy industry’s take on the popular daytime talk show “The View,” six senior executives — all moms themselves — engage in a conversation that helps parents better understand topics such as how toy makers design safety into toys, how to select the correct toy for a child, and how to use toys safely once they are at home.
Moderated by Alan Korn of Safe Kids USA and father to a nine-year-old son, the “Moms of Toy Safety” panel discusses topics ranging from the age grading of products and secondhand goods and older toys to safe play at home and the importance of adult supervision.
“Our goal for this project was to gather leading experts in the area of toy safety – moms all – for a breezy, informative discussion of toys and safe play from a parent’s point of view,” explained Stacy Leistner, TIA vice president of strategic communications. “We felt it was important to introduce parents and other caregivers to some of the people ‘behind the scenes’ that are helping to assure the safety of toys.”
The topics addressed and discussed by the panel are questions that moms across the country have been asking TIA on a regular basis. “These videos are intended to serve as resources for them,” said Leistner.
>> VIEW THE ‘MOMS OF TOY SAFETY’ VIDEO << TIA Launches Consumer Website Naming Hot Toys for the Holiday Season
A second website has also been launched by TIA in time for the holiday shopping season. Consumer visitors to www.ToyAwards.org will find descriptions of toys nominated as finalists in the prestigious industry-sponsored Toy of the Year (TOTY) Awards. The Toy Awards site features a free, downloadable gift shopping list which parents and caregivers can take with them to stores to aid in selecting the most innovative and desirable toys this holiday season. Kids, parents and caregivers can also identify their favorite toys using an electronic polling system and opt-in to register for one or more of eleven (11) prize packages.
Websites Offers Parents Information on Toy Safety, Trends and Play
For parents, grandparents, aunts and uncles, ‘tis the season to go toy shopping. With the economy keeping many families on tight budgets, consumers are looking for the perfect toys and games that offer the children in their lives the most safe and fun play value.
Reports from the federal government’s U.S. Consumer Product Safety Commission and consumer groups such as the Public Interest Research Group (PIRG) and Consumers Union agree that toys on the shelf this holiday season are safer than they have ever been.
“The right toy – one that is age appropriate, properly designed and manufactured, and matches the interests of the child – will provide hours of fun and safe play,” explains Joan Lawrence, vice president of safety at the Toy Industry Association and a mother of three young children herself. She advises all shoppers to keep safety top of mind when selecting toys this holiday season and throughout the year.
Detailed information on toy safety and toy buying tips are just a click away – on the newly enhanced consumer website from the Toy Industry Association, www.ToyInfo.org.
Among the resources available on the www.ToyInfo.org site are the following toy safety tips for this holiday season:
At the store
-- Check and follow age guidance and other safety information on packaging (age grading is based mostly on safety and not on how smart a child may be)
--Avoid toys with small parts for children under age three (3) and children who mouth toys
--Inspect toys at the store, looking for sturdy parts and tightly secured joints
Make sure that batteries in toys are firmly enclosed and inaccessible to children
--For children under 18 months of age, avoid toys with strings, straps or cords longer than twelve (12) inches
--Check to see that plush (stuffed) toys have age-appropriate features such as embroidered or secured eyes and noses for younger children and seams that are reinforced to withstand an older child’s play
--Avoid toys with sharp points or rough edges, especially for younger children
Shop at a reputable retailer you know and trust
Once the presents are opened
--Read instructions carefully; save directions, warranties and assembly hardware
--Role play the right way to use the toy or game and explain to your child the importance of proper use
--Dispose of all unnecessary toy packaging and gift-wrap as soon as possible (piles of discarded gift-wrap can conceal sharp objects or the edges of hard plastic packaging that can cut small fingers)
--Store toys safely in an easily accessible storage bin; lidded toy storage should be non-locking and have special safety features such as air holes, spring-loaded hinges and clearances at the hinges to make sure little fingers won’t get caught
--Keep a separate toy chest for older children whose toys may contain small parts; enlist their help in keeping their toys out of reach of younger siblings
After the holidays and throughout the year
--Engage grandparents and caregivers in a discussion about toys and safe play; help them become familiar with these toy safety tips and the importance of age- and interest-appropriate toys
--Be a good role model for the safe use of toys and stay engaged in active adult supervision of children at play
--Keep plush (stuffed) toys out of the cribs of infants
--Keep toys organized and off stairs or high-traffic areas in your home
--Keep toys away from unsupervised areas (pools, bathtubs, driveways or streets with traffic) so they don’t lure a child into a dangerous situation
--Engage older children in keeping their toys away from younger siblings
--Inspect toys regularly and repair or replace damaged or broken parts immediately
A video of holiday shopping tips can be found on the www.ToyInfo.org website (see the tab for “Toys”).
“Moms of Toy Safety” Highlight Toy Industry’s Commitment to Safe and Fun Play
In the toy industry’s take on the popular daytime talk show “The View,” six senior executives — all moms themselves — engage in a conversation that helps parents better understand topics such as how toy makers design safety into toys, how to select the correct toy for a child, and how to use toys safely once they are at home.
Moderated by Alan Korn of Safe Kids USA and father to a nine-year-old son, the “Moms of Toy Safety” panel discusses topics ranging from the age grading of products and secondhand goods and older toys to safe play at home and the importance of adult supervision.
“Our goal for this project was to gather leading experts in the area of toy safety – moms all – for a breezy, informative discussion of toys and safe play from a parent’s point of view,” explained Stacy Leistner, TIA vice president of strategic communications. “We felt it was important to introduce parents and other caregivers to some of the people ‘behind the scenes’ that are helping to assure the safety of toys.”
The topics addressed and discussed by the panel are questions that moms across the country have been asking TIA on a regular basis. “These videos are intended to serve as resources for them,” said Leistner.
>> VIEW THE ‘MOMS OF TOY SAFETY’ VIDEO << TIA Launches Consumer Website Naming Hot Toys for the Holiday Season
A second website has also been launched by TIA in time for the holiday shopping season. Consumer visitors to www.ToyAwards.org will find descriptions of toys nominated as finalists in the prestigious industry-sponsored Toy of the Year (TOTY) Awards. The Toy Awards site features a free, downloadable gift shopping list which parents and caregivers can take with them to stores to aid in selecting the most innovative and desirable toys this holiday season. Kids, parents and caregivers can also identify their favorite toys using an electronic polling system and opt-in to register for one or more of eleven (11) prize packages.
