Parents should be more watchful and knowledgeable in choosing toys for their children. An intricately draped looking beautiful Barbie doll, a realistic toy gun with a bang, a remote-controlled toy racing car, or a miniature train winding its way on a miniature railway track-attractive and expensive toys are always desirable objects for children. Here, in this article we will discuss how to choose “Safe Toys” for children.
Parents try to give these fancy toys to make their children happy, sometimes unwisely stretching the family budgets. But does an expensive toy make a child happier than a relatively inexpensive toy? I would categorically say: No.
This discussion is limited to introducing young children to simple toys and games and does not cover the newer electronic gadgets or formal sports training. Here are some simple practical guidelines for buying toys and games.
Guidelines for choosing safe Toys & Games
1)Choose a toy according to the child’s age and interest. Younger children love colorful and musical toys whereas older ones are more interested in something that tests their physical or mental ability.
2)Gender often plays a role in toy selection. Boys often prefer objects like guns and cars, and girls prefer dolls and household objects like kitchen sets and jewelry boxes.
3)Choose a toy that is strong and likely to last. Children are not careful handlers of things and do throw and drop things. Avoid too delicate and breakable toys. Make sure that the toy has no sharp edges, pointed corners, or loose small parts. Small breakable toy parts often cause childhood accidents when children put them in their mouth, nose, or ears.
4)Avoid toys making a loud noise because that can lead to damaged hearing in the long run.
5)Under the age of 3 years, choking is an important danger. That is why you should avoid marbles, coins, balls, and games that use balls of 1.75 inches in diameter or less because they present choking hazards.
6)Stuffed toys tend to gather dust and can often lead to dust allergy. That is why you should choose stuffed toys that are washable.
7)Make sure that the paint on the toy is not coming off and that the paint is stated to be lead-free on the manufacturer’s label.
8)While choosing a bicycle or a skateboard for older children, make sure your child has adequate skills to use these or make sure the child learns under supervision. A helmet wrist and canvas are recommended equipment for safety gear.
9)Don’t choose the most expensive, most exclusive kind of toys. A child’s joy and happiness in getting something new is the same whether you give something expensive or relatively inexpensive. When children get a new toy, they forget the old toys which they have. So expensive toys do not make value for them.
10)Choose toys that make something active in the imagination rather than those that have repetitive mechanical actions. Animal or action figurine games and building blocks or bricks games are good choices for developing imaginative play.
11)Always keep an eye on your child’s toys to check for wear and tear and breakage. Repair or discard the broken toy at the earliest as the broken parts could cause injuries.
12)As the children grow older, they will enjoy card games, jigsaw puzzles, and board games like chess, snakes and ladders, and carom. These are always good options for games to have at home.
13)A ball of the right size for football, basketball, or throw-ball is the simplest and usually the most popular indoor and outdoor toy for which you don’t have to spend a fortune.
14)When it comes to toys, parents spend more time enjoying play time with their children. It is more important than spending a lot of money.