WARNING! Always supervise your child with toys, making sure they are safe and appropriate for his skill level and that they are not choking hazards.
BEING SAFE WITH TOYS
Be safe about toys:
• Childproof your home, because everything looks like a toy to a child.
• Read and heed age guideline labels on toys as a place to begin. Toy manufacturers add labels with age and safety recommendations to most, but not all, toys. The suggestions are based on guidelines from the Consumer Product Safety Commission. It is important to note that toy safety standards are voluntary, so you can never really be certain that safety standards are being followed; use your own judgment.
• Age guidelines are meant to reflect the safety of a toy based on the child's physical and mental ability to play with the toy, the child's play needs and interests, and the specific safety aspects of a particular toy, i.e.: "Not recommended for children under three."
• Match toys with your child's skill level and interests. Sometimes toy companies are wrong about their age recommendations; use the guideline as a place to start, then use your own judgment based on what you know about your child.
• Avoid the following in toys for young children:
-- Parts that could pull off and/or fit into a child's mouth, nose, or ear
-- Exposed wires
-- Balloons
-- Parts that get hot
-- Lead paint
-- Poisonous materials
-- Breakable parts
-- Sharp points or edges
-- Things that shoot parts
-- Electric toys
-- Long cords or strings
-- Springs, gears, or hinged parts that could pinch or entrap tiny fingers
• Immediately throw away all wrappings from new toys. They may contain harmful things like plastic bags, staples, or Styrofoam.
• Supervise your child with all toys. Supervision is important even with toys that are carefully selected with his age and interest in mind: even a ball can become dangerous if an unsupervised child follows one into the street or lake.
• Watch your child extra carefully when there are older children's toys nearby. Toys that may be appropriate for older children can be harmful in the hands of children that are too young to use them safely.
• Put toys in their place and teach your child to do the same to avoid tripping accidents.
• If you use a toy chest, choose it carefully. Look for smooth, finished edges and a strong lid with safe hinges that will not pinch skin, as well as locking supports that keep it open and prevent it from falling on the child. It should have ventilation holes (or no cover at all) to prevent suffocation if the child becomes trapped inside.
• Maintain toys by examining them routinely for damage, wear, or broken parts: splinters, rust, chipping paint, loose eyes, exposed wires, etc. Repair, replace, or throw away damaged or worn toys.
• Call the Consumer Product Safety Commission (CPSC) at (800) 638-2772 or TDD (800) 638-8270 for information on recall warnings about toys, to report accidents, or to suggest toys that you believe should be recalled. The CPSC is the federal government agency that investigates concerns, complaints, and accident reports about toys from consumers.
--From "For Kid's Sake: Think Toy Safety," CPSC Document #4281, U.S. Consumer Product Safety Commission, 1996.
CHOOSING THE RIGHT TOY
Select toys wisely. In addition to the safety guidelines, think about the following:
• Choose toys your child is developmentally ready for. Think more about the kinds of toys that she does spend time playing with than the types of toys she is begging for because she saw them on television or at a friend's home.
• Non-toys can be just as appealing and have just as much value as store-bought ones--boxes, paper bags, sand, mixing bowls, blankets over chairs for tents, unopened or empty boxes of food.
• Strike a balance--while variety is important, avoid having too many toys at once. If your child does have a lot of toys, rotate them by leaving some out and putting the rest away in a closet or on a shelf that is out of sight. In a week or two, trade some of the ones that are out for some that are in storage.
• Look for toys that can be played with in many different ways and that encourage your child to be active instead of just watching--she will learn more from a set of blocks that can become many things and that requires her imagination, concentration and skill than she will from an electric train set that she can only watch move when she turns a switch.
• If there are toys that go against your values, think ahead about what your values are about allowing your child to own them. You may decide to ban certain toys or work out a compromise. Either way, explain to her why you decided what you did in a way that she can understand: to the four-year-old who is shooting at her little brother with a gun she made from a stick, you might say, "I don't want to have toy guns in the house because real guns kill and hurt people. If you are going to shoot that 'gun,' you may not shoot people, only targets like the tree or couch."
• Anticipate that she will play with toys in her own way, whatever that is. Let her do so unless it goes against your values or is dangerous: it is acceptable and creative when she turns a chair over and uses it for a feed trough for her horse, but it is dangerous and unacceptable if she decides to jump on your bass drum for a trampoline.
--Ideas found in WHAT TO EXPECT THE TODDLER YEARS by Arlene Eisenberg, Heidi E. Murkoff, and Sandee E. Hathaway, Workman Pub., 1994.
NON-TOYS
• Provide "non-toy" things and make your own toys. Your child's curiosity drives her need to do, to find out, and to know. All you really need to do is surround her with things to explore, to wonder about, and to discover. Fancy learning materials are nice, but by no means necessary. Trinkets and simple materials can become active learning toys that your child can't keep her hands off.
--Ideas found in DO TOUCH: INSTANT, EASY HANDS-ON LEARNING EXPERIENCES FOR YOUNG CHILDREN by Labritta Gilbert, Gryphon House Press, 1989.
THE FIELD GUIDE TOY CHEST
Classic Toys for Ages One to Four
• Activity boards with things to push, pull, open, close, etc.
• Balls
• Blocks
• Books
• Boxes of all sizes
• Bubbles
• Climbing/sliding toy
• Construction sets
• Crayons, markers, and paper
• Dolls and accessories: bed, blanket, bottle, etc.
• Dress-up box: hats, purses, scarves, shoes, etc.
• Finger-paints
• Housekeeping toys: dishes, telephone, broom, food, sink, stove, etc.
• Natural materials: sticks, stones, seeds, water, dirt, sand, shells, leaves, etc.
• Nesting or fitting toys
• Pail and shovel
• Play dough
• Play houses
• Play vehicles: trucks, cars, trains, bulldozers, etc.
• Pounding toys
• Puppets: hand and finger
• Push and pull toys: wheelbarrow, wagon, doll buggy, etc.v
• Puzzles
• Sand and water toys
• Shape sorters
• Simple musical instruments: bells, maracas, keyboard, tambourine, xylophone, drum, cymbals, or sticks
• Stuffed animals
• Wind-up music box
Note: Many toys come in a range of skill levels. When selecting a toy, match it to your child's skill level--look for the manufacturer's age recommendation on the package to start, but then use your own judgement as to whether the toy is appropriate for your child.
Great Toys for Age One
• All toys in "Classic Toys for Ages One to Four"
• Jack-in-the-box type toys that give a response to a simple action
• Pots and pans with covers
• Riding toys
• Small toys or objects (large enough not to be choking hazards) and a large container for putting inside and dumping out again
• Stacking toys
Great Toys for Age Two
• All toys in "Classic Toys for Ages One to Four"
• Baskets, boxes, bags, etc. to fill with collections
• Lacing toys and beads and string
• Paints and brushes
• Pegs and pegboard
• Printing and stamping equipment
• Riding toy or tricycle
• Scissors--child's blunt end safety
• Science tools: magnets, magnifying glass, stethoscope, kaleidoscope, and binoculars
• Simple matching games
• Toy people or animal sets
Great Toys for Age Three
• All toys in "Classic Toys for Ages One to Four" and in "Great Toys for Age Two"
• Balancing boards--low
• Board games with rules and turn taking
• Doll clothing with large fasteners
• Parquetry or colorful design blocks
• Toys and games that teach colors, sizes, shapes
Great Toys for Age Four
• All toys in "Classic Toys for Ages One to Four," "Great Toys for Age Two," and "Great Toys for Age Three"
• Jump rope
• Ring toss
• Scrapbook
• Real tools such as camera, hammer, or flashlight (with training and supervision)
