What to look for when choosing toys. Be sure to instruct your grandparents that your child's health is no joke. Every adult should know the signs of a harmful toy and be able to choose not only a safe, but also a useful one!
Not all toys from the shelves of even the most expensive stores are worth buying for your beloved baby, because some of them can harm the child's physical or mental health.
It's no secret that the release of toys is a business, a way to make money. In pursuit of brightness and competitive price, the most important thing can suffer - quality. Despite the fact that all toys are tested, substandard and even harmful goods regularly get on sale. In addition, categories such as sports equipment, weapon simulators, jewelry, etc. according to the documentation do not belong to toys, which means they do not fall under any technical regulations.
1. Be sure to ask the seller for a certificate of quality for the toy you like. At any point of sale, at your request, you are required to provide these documents (shipping documents for the goods). Otherwise, you can file a complaint with RosPotrebNadzor.
Harmful substances that can, but MUST NOT exceed the permissible limits in toys:
Phenol - used to shape plastic or rubber - is rapidly absorbed through the skin, upper respiratory tract and gastrointestinal tract; destructively affects the immune system, can lead to sleep disturbances, headaches, runny nose and more. It can cause allergic reactions, and a child with bronchial asthma can have the most dire consequences. Be careful. According to research data, about 40% of toys for newborns on the Russian market exceed the permissible levels of phenol content. When these toys are placed in water, the release of phenol increases tenfold.
Formaldehyde is a highly toxic gas used in the production of resins, plastics, paints, textiles and more; has a pungent odor, is readily soluble in water and alcohol - causes a strong toxic reaction, negatively affects the nervous system, genetic material, reproductive function; officially considered a carcinogen and can cause cancer.
- a poisonous substance that can cause a number of neurological disorders and other diseases, even from the smallest contact. Symptoms of poisoning appear only 2-3 months after contact. Entering the body through the respiratory tract, mercury vapors form dangerous compounds, harm the kidneys, liver and intestines; depending on the degree of mercury vapor poisoning, there may be such consequences as a delay in motor or mental development. And this is far from the whole horrifying list.
- negatively affects mental abilities - it is added to children's jewelry: rings, bracelets, chains, brooches, pendants, talismans, etc. to make them silvery. Such products are especially dangerous if a child takes them in the mouth or swallows them.
Read product labels and labels. Information about the country of origin and the company that released the goods must be indicated. If this information is not on the label and label, or on the product quality certificate, or if they refuse to show you the documentation under any pretext (the safe is broken; the director is away …), it is better to leave without a purchase, since most likely these toys are hazardous to health.
2. For each toy, the age range must be indicated: "from 3 years old" or "0+", etc.
3. Do not forget to smell the toy: if there is any unpleasant or foreign smell - refuse to purchase. If toys are sold without packaging (especially soft ones), most likely they are "ventilated" this way before being sold. The presence of packaging is extremely important! And at least some kind of guarantee …
4. Do not buy a toy that sheds, fluff can come out, or that peels off. The seller can say anything, but such a toy can harm a child: children taste everything and can choke. The ideal filler for soft toys is a synthetic winterizer. Foam rubber decomposes over time and releases harmful substances, especially when it comes into contact with baby saliva. Small silicone balls can soon begin to spill out through poor-quality seams, which means they can be eaten by your favorite toddler.
5. Polyvinyl chloride is a dangerous substance, especially for babies - its presence in the product is indicated by a special designation (see right).
This product is very pleasant to the touch and resembles human skin.
6. When choosing electric toys, remember - their power should not exceed 24 watts.
7. A toy for a kid should not consist of a large number of poorly fixed parts, should not have sharp edges. Before buying any toy, make sure that your little one does not get hurt by it while playing.
Conscientious manufacturers give their goods for examination, where they are checked not only by chemical composition, but also by a number of other indicators. For example, the weight of a rattle should not exceed 100 grams; each rattle is tested for strength: 5 times in a row it is thrown onto a special platform with a height of 850 mm. (if the rattle is easy to crack, the child can swallow the "noisy" filling), moreover, the rattle itself should not have any images or inscriptions (especially on the part that gets into the child's mouth).
Toys that do not distort reality will be useful for the child. If a kid has been playing with a purple canary and a green bear all his life, then for some reason after a while he suddenly must believe that canaries and bears do not come in such colors. Or another situation: toy monsters. For a kid up to 3 years old, and sometimes more - all toys are animated, alive. When you buy a toy monster for your child, you give him a “live” one. And even in the language of the subconscious, a grin, huge teeth and claws cannot be perceived as anything other than intimidation. Even if a child likes such a toy, it will not bring anything good for his psyche.
Psychologists and educators around the world advise you to choose toys in accordance with age needs (read more in our next article), give preference to toys made from natural or textured materials, use natural materials in games (leaves, tree bark, twigs, sand, etc.; all this, if desired, can be processed, including thermally), purchase more toys that allow the child to show imagination and come up with an action (and not just press a button), create.
Help your child come up with 10 stories and ways to use each toy, and after a while he will show you 20 more options. It will be much more useful.
And finally - 3 tips on how to make your toy safer.
1. Arriving home from the store, re-check if all the parts are securely fastened (it is better to glue, hem or twist before letting the baby play).
2. If you bought a soft toy - first of all, wash it in a typewriter on a delicate cycle and let it dry. Such toys are an ideal habitat for small parasites that are not visible to the eye. The same should be done periodically with old stuffed animals.
3. If the toy is made of plastic, wash it thoroughly with hot water and laundry soap or wipe it off with alcohol. If, after water-alcohol treatment, the toy has changed color or shape, throw it away without sparing money, the baby's health is more important.
The family often thinks about buying toys even before the baby is born. The issue of choosing safe toys has remained relevant for parents all over the world for several years now. That is why it is very important that every adult knows about everything that we are talking about now.
Pay attention to all the information attached to the product; buy toys from well-known, proven brands from major manufacturers. Do not settle for "unknown what" from "unknown who" from "unknown whose stall" … Parents' control over the safety and quality of toys is the last and most important barrier between the child and the outside world. The way the world meets the baby depends entirely on you.
The most useful and safe shopping for you. The happiest moments and games with your child!
