Safe Toys, Materials, and Equipment Play

Safe Toys, Materials, and Equipment Play is a natural activity for every young child. Play provides many opportunities for children to learn and grow – physically, mentally, and socially. If play is the child’s work, then the toys, materials, and equipment in the environment are what will enable children to do their work well and safely.

Safe Toys Protecting children from unsafe toys is the responsibility of everyone. Careful toy selection and proper supervision of children at play are still—and always will be—the best ways to protect children from toy-related injuries.20 It is important that educators consider both safety and durability when choosing toys for children. Toys should be constructed to withstand the uses and abuses of children in the age range for which the toy is appropriate. The U.S. Consumer Product Safety Commission (CPSC) has safety regulations for certain toys. Manufacturers must design and manufacture their products to meet these regulations so that hazardous products are not sold.

18 Biting: A Fact Sheet for Families by the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services is in the public domain. 19 Which Toy for Which Child by the U.S. Consumer Product Safety Commission is in the public domain. 20 Think Toy Safety by the U.S. Consumer Product Safety Commission is in the public domain.

Age Regulations

For All Ages

 No shock or thermal hazards in electrical toys

 Amount of lead paint is severely limited

 No toxic materials in or on toys

 All materials for children 12 and under are non-hazardous

 Latex balloons and product with balloons are labeled as choking and suffocation hazard

Under Age 3

 Unbreakable – will withstand use and abuse

 No small parts or pieces which become lodged in throat

 Rattles large enough not to become lodged in the throat and will not separate into small pieces

 No balls with diameters 1.75 inches or less