How to Choose Safe Stuffed Toys for Your Baby
Ensure the toys do not have long strings., Ensure the toys do not have removable parts., Be careful when giving a stuffed toy with batteries., Avoid toys with sharp points.Even stuffed or semi-stuffed toys sometimes have sharp bits on them., Ensure...
Step-by-Step Guide
-
Step 1: Ensure the toys do not have long strings.
Babies are liable to wrap long strings and cords around their necks and choke.
They might also swallow the string and choke.
To avoid these unhappy outcomes, take a good look at the stuffed toy you’re considering giving your baby.
Check the back of the toy for pull strings that might make the stuffed toy say something., Removable parts are more common on sturdier plastic toys and action figures.
But stuffed toys often come with removable accessories like cups or glasses that might detach with Velcro, for instance.
Give the toy a thorough investigation for parts that are removable or could break off and pose a choking hazard.Some stuffed toys have parts that seem irremovable, but actually are.For instance, stuffed toys with marble or glass eyes, or button noses, are considered unsafe for babies.If bits ever break off a stuffed toy, do not try to repair it.
Instead, return the toy to the store and get a safer stuffed toy.
Do not attempt to get a replacement. , Batteries are a serious choking hazard for babies.
If your baby wants a stuffed toy with batteries, ensure that the batteries are secured by a panel that must be unscrewed in order to remove the batteries.
Do not give your child a stuffed toy with a battery panel that simply snaps open.
While it is unlikely your baby would be able to open the battery panel, it’s not a risk worth taking.If your baby’s stuffed toy lights up, dances, or engages in some other sort of action, it is powered by batteries.
You can also identify battery-operated toys by the label on the packaging that reads “battery operated.” Check battery-operated stuffed toys for leaking battery acid from time to time.
Battery acid will leave behind a crusty, discolored area inside the battery panel.
It might be brown or white in color.
Discard any batteries that leak battery acid, clean out the toy’s battery panel, and insert fresh batteries. , For instance, do not give your child a stuffed goat with plastic horns protruding from its head.
Your baby might jam the pointed horn in their eye.
Such an injury may impair their vision.Even soft, stuffed bits of a toy should be treated with suspicion.
Avoid any stuffed toy that has sharp points. , When examining stuffed toys for safety, give a gentle tug along their seams.
If you sense that the toy is shoddily sewn, do not buy it.
Instead, look for stuffed toys that are durable and will not easily tear or rip.Low-quality stuffed toys are unsafe for babies.
If they rip open and spill their soft stuffing, your baby might eat it and choke.
Select stuffed toys that can withstand chewing and similar abuse., Avoid, for instance, giving your baby the giant stuffed gorilla you won at the fair.
Stuffed toys that are too large and/or heavy are unsafe for baby.
If a heavy stuffed toy fell, it could easily smother your baby., For instance, you might encounter a stuffed toy with a package that reads, “For children 2 and up.” This means that children younger than two years old should not play with that stuffed toy.
In this case, if your child is younger than two, search for a safer stuffed toy., If an older relative offers to provide you with an older stuffed toy, graciously reject the offer.
Older stuffed toys might not meet current safety standards, and without the original packaging you’ll likely have no way of knowing.
Plus, as hand-me-downs, they might be worn and more likely to break open at the seams. -
Step 2: Ensure the toys do not have removable parts.
-
Step 3: Be careful when giving a stuffed toy with batteries.
-
Step 4: Avoid toys with sharp points.Even stuffed or semi-stuffed toys sometimes have sharp bits on them.
-
Step 5: Ensure the toy is of high quality.
-
Step 6: Choose lightweight stuffed toys.
-
Step 7: Follow age guidelines.Safe stuffed toys will include a label that informs parents about how old a child needs to be to use the particular toy.
-
Step 8: Do not choose old toys.
Detailed Guide
Babies are liable to wrap long strings and cords around their necks and choke.
They might also swallow the string and choke.
To avoid these unhappy outcomes, take a good look at the stuffed toy you’re considering giving your baby.
Check the back of the toy for pull strings that might make the stuffed toy say something., Removable parts are more common on sturdier plastic toys and action figures.
But stuffed toys often come with removable accessories like cups or glasses that might detach with Velcro, for instance.
Give the toy a thorough investigation for parts that are removable or could break off and pose a choking hazard.Some stuffed toys have parts that seem irremovable, but actually are.For instance, stuffed toys with marble or glass eyes, or button noses, are considered unsafe for babies.If bits ever break off a stuffed toy, do not try to repair it.
Instead, return the toy to the store and get a safer stuffed toy.
Do not attempt to get a replacement. , Batteries are a serious choking hazard for babies.
If your baby wants a stuffed toy with batteries, ensure that the batteries are secured by a panel that must be unscrewed in order to remove the batteries.
Do not give your child a stuffed toy with a battery panel that simply snaps open.
While it is unlikely your baby would be able to open the battery panel, it’s not a risk worth taking.If your baby’s stuffed toy lights up, dances, or engages in some other sort of action, it is powered by batteries.
You can also identify battery-operated toys by the label on the packaging that reads “battery operated.” Check battery-operated stuffed toys for leaking battery acid from time to time.
Battery acid will leave behind a crusty, discolored area inside the battery panel.
It might be brown or white in color.
Discard any batteries that leak battery acid, clean out the toy’s battery panel, and insert fresh batteries. , For instance, do not give your child a stuffed goat with plastic horns protruding from its head.
Your baby might jam the pointed horn in their eye.
Such an injury may impair their vision.Even soft, stuffed bits of a toy should be treated with suspicion.
Avoid any stuffed toy that has sharp points. , When examining stuffed toys for safety, give a gentle tug along their seams.
If you sense that the toy is shoddily sewn, do not buy it.
Instead, look for stuffed toys that are durable and will not easily tear or rip.Low-quality stuffed toys are unsafe for babies.
If they rip open and spill their soft stuffing, your baby might eat it and choke.
Select stuffed toys that can withstand chewing and similar abuse., Avoid, for instance, giving your baby the giant stuffed gorilla you won at the fair.
Stuffed toys that are too large and/or heavy are unsafe for baby.
If a heavy stuffed toy fell, it could easily smother your baby., For instance, you might encounter a stuffed toy with a package that reads, “For children 2 and up.” This means that children younger than two years old should not play with that stuffed toy.
In this case, if your child is younger than two, search for a safer stuffed toy., If an older relative offers to provide you with an older stuffed toy, graciously reject the offer.
Older stuffed toys might not meet current safety standards, and without the original packaging you’ll likely have no way of knowing.
Plus, as hand-me-downs, they might be worn and more likely to break open at the seams.
About the Author
Laura Torres
Writer and educator with a focus on practical crafts knowledge.
Rate This Guide
How helpful was this guide? Click to rate: