WITH growing cost of living pressures, we’re all on the lookout for bargains. But cheap toys from online marketplaces can pose a serious risk to our children.
They may have been made with toxic chemicals or feature long cords that can strangle or small parts that can choke a small child.
What’s more, super-strong magnets in cheap toys can rip through a child’s gut, while easy-access button batteries can kill a child if swallowed.
We tend to assume that, if we can buy something, it must be safe. But when it comes to buying gifts from online marketplaces, that simply isn’t the case.
Despite strong UK toy safety standards, there’s no requirement for marketplaces to check the safety of the toys we buy from the sellers on their platforms.
And while trading standards teams are working flat out to patrol the ports, they’re not opening and inspecting our parcels.
So basically, we’re the importer and it’s up to us to know if we’re bringing unsafe toys into our homes to put under the tree at Christmas.
What’s even more horrifying is that a toy can be removed from sale because it’s unsafe and then a seemingly identical toy, with the exact same dangers, can reappear online.
That’s why our charity, the Child Accident Prevention Trust, has launched a campaign to warn parents of the dangers. We want to arm parents with the knowledge they need to buy cheap toys safely.
Two things stand out for me. First of all, check who you’re buying from. If you can, opt for toys from well-known brand names and the online stores of well-known retailers.
If it’s a company you’ve never heard of, with no UK or EU address and the price is temptingly low, the toy may be illegal and unsafe.
Second, if you are buying an unknown brand from an overseas seller, it’s safer to avoid magnetic toys and toys powered by big lithium button batteries. In my opinion, they’re just too risky.
I’ve spoken to too many parents whose child has suffered a life-changing injury or, in the worst case, lost their life. None of them wants another family to go through that experience.
Of course, when you’re buying online, you can’t always tell exactly what you’re buying. So, when the toy arrives, take it out of the box and give it a once-over before you wrap it up.
Is the battery compartment secure? Is there a loose button battery supplied as a spare? Is there an overlong cord that might strangle a small child? If you give teddy’s eyes a gentle tug, do they stay put or come off in your hand?
If you buy a toy that looks unsafe, trust your instincts and send it back. Tell your local trading standards team too, through Advice Direct on 0808 164 6000.
To find out more, check out the practical tips, videos and visual explainers on our website capt.org.uk/buy-safe-toys/.
Katrina Phillips is Chief Executive, Child Accident Prevention Trust
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