Consumer’s EdgeConsumer’s Edge
Consumer Protection Division, Maryland Office of the Attorney General
Playing It Safe:
Guarding Against Toy-Related Injuries
A national toy retailer recalled 53,000 infant pacier
clips because their spring mechanisms can break and
release small parts, posing a choking hazard.
A Pennsylvania toy manufacturer recalled 2.8 million
arts and crafts tempera and nger paints containing
harmful bacteria. Exposure to this bacteria poses a risk
of serious illness, including a bacterial infection.
A New Jersey toy importer recalled 91,000 toy building
sets because small parts were detaching, posing a chok-
ing hazard.
Self-balancing scooters or hoverboards caused over 100
burn injuries and property damage when the battery
packs overheated, caught re, and/or exploded. Ten im-
porters and retailers recalled over half a million of these
dangerous items.
These are a just few examples of toy-related dangers
uncovered by the U.S. Consumer Product Safety Commis-
sion (CPSC) in past years. CPSC standards continue to
improve toy safety. Today, toy manufacturers must com-
ply with federal toy-making regulations on such things as:
• Small parts that could lodge in the throat;
• Sharp points and edges; and
• Paint and toxic materials.
Toy manufacturers are responsible for assuring their toys
meet CPSC regulations; however, the CPSC does not ap-
prove specic toys for sale to consumers. When the CPSC
identies dangerous toys, it issues a recall notice to remove
them from the marketplace. Manufacturers may also be sub-
ject to nes for selling toys that violate CPSC regulations.
The CPSC often learns about dangerous toys from con-
sumers who report injuries or deaths, and by conducting
on-site inspections of manufacturers and importers to
check for compliance with regulations. But even after
a dangerous toy has been recalled by the CPSC,
consumers who previously purchased the toy are not
individually notied about the recall.
The majority of toys on the market are safe if bought for the
appropriate-aged child and used as intended. However, despite
governmental and industry eorts, toys are not regulated on-
line, or through resellers. So, the next toy you buy at a garage
sale or online could potentially pose a danger to your child, as
could a toy that has been sitting in your child’s toy box.
Parents can minimize risks to their children if they take
appropriate precautions and by learning to identify dan-
gerous toys. Parents can also minimize risk by supervising
their child’s activities inside and outside their home. Some
general guidelines are described below, along with resourc-
es for more detailed information.
Toy Chests
Children can become trapped in toy chests. Any toy chest
should be designed and intended for holding toys. Most new
toy chests are. If you are buying one, whether new or used,
purchase one with a spring-loaded lid support that will keep
the lid open in any position and will not require adjustment.
Or select one with sliding panels, a lightweight, removable
lid, or no lid at all. The chest should have holes or spaces in
front, sides or under the lid to provide ventilation.
Baby Toys
Choking continues to be a signicant cause of toy-re-
lated injuries and deaths, according to the CPSC. For
children less than one year of age, two–thirds of injury
Issue #150
January 2023
Anthony G. Brown, Maryland Attorney General
deaths were due to suocation, according to the Centers
for Disease Control and Prevention. An infant’s mouth and
throat are extremely exible and can stretch to hold larger
shapes than you’d expect. Always make sure an infant’s
toys are bigger than your child’s st. Keep in mind that to a
young child, everything is a toy. Another way to test if toys
may be inappropriate for infants: If it ts in a toilet paper
tube, it’s too small and a choking hazard.
Toys on Wheels
Bicycles are a major
source of childhood inju-
ry. Although the rate has
decreased since the early
2000s, in 2020 over
100,000 children visited
emergency rooms due to
bicycle-related injuries
according to the Centers
for Disease Control and Prevention.
Any child old enough to pedal a bike or ride with you
in a bike-child-seat needs a helmet. Maryland law (Md.
Transportation Code Ann. § 21-1207.1) requires anyone
younger than 16 to wear a helmet when riding a bicycle.
Be sure the two-wheelers you buy properly t your child
or they’ll nd them dicult to control. The CPSC rec-
ommends that children younger than six ride a bike only
under adult supervision. Children younger than nine lack
the skills to avoid dangerous trac situations and should
stay away from streets.
Skateboards, in-line skates, and hoverboards can also
be hazardous, especially if children don’t wear helmets
and other protective equipment. Be sure to supply safety
equipment with the bike, skateboard, skates, or hover-
board and insist they be worn.
Age Grading Toys
Toy manufacturers follow the age-grading guidelines of
the CPSC, which consist of four main sections:
• Play Categories: various play behaviors in which
children engage and how they use toys during play;
• Toy Subcategories: general types or groups of
toys that children use when participating in vari-
ous play types;
• Age Groups: 10 specic groups from birth
through age 12; and,
• Toy Characteristics: appropriate and appealing toy
characteristics based on the physical, cogni-
tive, social, and emotional levels and abil-
ities of children as they progress through
the 10 age groups.
When a manufacturer recommends that a toy not be given
to a child under a certain age, follow that advice no matter
how “advanced” your child may be. The age recommen-
dation on the package of a toy is a minimum one. When a
label says a toy is “not recommended for children under 8
years of age,” that does not mean that every 8-year-old is
mature enough to use it safely.
Guidelines for Choosing Safe Toys
Even the most cautious parent sometimes buys a poorly
designed toy or children’s accessory, or selects something
inappropriate. Presents given to children may not have been
appropriately selected. Child safety advocates have devel-
oped some guidelines for safe toy buying. You can mini-
mize dangers by following these rules:
• Read the label and follow the manufacturer’s age
recommendations.
• Avoid over-complicated toys. Be certain you – and
when necessary, your child – understand the direc-
tions or instruction on a toy.
• Avoid toys with sharp edges, small parts, or strings.
• Check what material is inside stued toys. Beans,
chopped walnut shells, or little plastic pellets can cause
accidents if the toy is torn open and they fall out.
• Inspect older toys for wear and tear.
• Every toy isn’t for every tot. Teach your older children
to keep their toys out of the reach of younger children.
Consumer Protection Division
200 St. Paul Place, 16th Fl., Baltimore, MD 21202
• General Consumer Complaints: 410-528-8662
Toll-free: 1-888-743-0023 TDD: 410-576-6372
En español: 410-230-1712
9 a.m. to 3 p.m. Monday-Friday
www.marylandattorneygeneral.gov/Pages/CPD/
• Health Consumer Complaints: 410-528-1840
Toll-free: 1-877-261-8807 TDD: 410-576-6372
9 a.m. to 4:30 p.m. Monday-Friday
www.marylandcares.org
• For information on branch oces in Largo, Salisbury,
Hagerstown, and a full list of oces across Maryland, visit:
www.marylandattorneygeneral.gov/Pages/contactus.aspx
How to contact us
The Consumer’s Edge is produced by the Maryland Attorney
General’s Office. Reproductions are encouraged.
Maryland
Attorney General
Anthony G. Brown
www.marylandattorneygeneral.gov
