Used toys, furniture may injure children

As the giving season approaches, COMBAT’s Maine Center for the Public Interest reminds consumers that when protecting your child’s safety, it’s not only important to shop carefully for new toys and furniture, but to also be careful about items bought used or passed along as hand-me-downs.

Old playpens and cribs are often given to friends or family; older children share their toys with younger relatives; keepsakes are often stored in old cedar chests with heavy lids that can close suddenly and injure a child; and recalled items no longer available in stores find their way to yard sales and flea markets.

Despite recall notices and public warnings, many products with the potential to seriously injure or kill are still being used by consumers. The U.S. Consumer Product Safety Commission is releasing a list of dangerous children’s products – over 23 million items – that might still be in people’s homes. These include some of the largest recalls or consumer alerts involving children’s products over the last year. Families should check whether old products have been recalled and place them out of the reach of children if they have any of them. Manufacturers will usually offer a free repair kit or replacement product.

You can get the list of recalled products by going to the CPSC Web site at www.cpsc.gov or by calling toll free, 1-800-638-2772. This list identifies recalled children’s products that are off store shelves but may still be lurking in attics, basements, toy boxes or closets.

Whether the toys and other products are new or used, the following safety tips apply:

. Select toys to suit the age, abilities, skills, and interest level of the intended child. Toys appropriate for older children may be too advanced for and pose safety hazards to younger children, toddlers, and infants.

. For infants, toddlers, and all children who still put objects in their mouths, avoid toys with small parts which could pose a fatal choking hazard.

. Buy toys like dolls of sturdy construction, with tightly secured eyes, noses, and other potential small parts.

. For all children under age 8, avoid toys that have sharp edges and points.

. Do not purchase electric toys with heating elements for children under age 8.

. Maine’s environment poses a special risk. Plastic toys that remain flexible indoors can become brittle when taken outside when the temperature drops toward freezing. These toys can shatter, forming razor sharp edges and dangerously knifelike projections.

. Be a label reader. Look for labels that give age recommendations and use that information as a guide.

. Check instructions. They should be clear to you, and when appropriate, to the child.

. Immediately discard plastic wrappings on toys, which can cause suffocation, before they become deadly playthings.

It’s not enough just to shop wisely. Selecting which toys are appropriate for your child’s age and abilities is equally important. Monitor your child’s play habits for dangerous use of toys and take them away if he or she appears at risk. It’s better to have your child kicking and screaming at home than in the emergency room.

The holidays are also a time during which we are cleaning up the house to entertain family or friends, and holiday specific products (such as decorations and artificial “frost” in spray cans) start to appear. Be mindful of electric shock risk, sharp edges, and small pieces that can be ingested by toddlers and infants while you are decorating. Place cans and bottles of paints, sprays, and other caustic products out of reach. If you are doing crafts, make sure all those small items, paints, knives, and other dangerous items are kept away from children.

It is a sad fact that the holidays, which should be a time of promise and joy, are also the most dangerous time of the year for small children. By following the above advice, you can make the holidays safer for your kids.

Consumer Forum is a collaboration of the Bangor Daily News and Northeast COMBAT/The Maine Center for the Public Interest, Maine’s membership-funded nonprofit consumer organization. For help or to request individual or business membership information write: Consumer Forum, Bangor Daily News, PO Box 1329, Bangor 04402-1329.