What Unsafe Gifts Look Like for Different Ages
Dr. Angela Seabright
| 3 min read
By: Dr. Angela Seabright, D.O., a care management physician at Blue Cross Blue Shield of Michigan.
When buying gifts during the holiday season or any time of year, it is important to keep a child’s safety top of mind.
According to the Consumer Product Safety Commission (CPSC), there were more than 200,000 emergency department visits for toy-related injuries in the United States in 2022. Nonmotorized scooters accounted for the most injuries for all ages.
Before checking off the holiday shopping list, here are some important safety tips to keep in mind:
Unsafe gifts for children
Young children are curious and are more likely to put objects in their ears, nose or mouth. It’s important to avoid sharp objects and small items that can be choking hazards. Additional dangerous items include:
- Toys with button batteries – If ingested, button batteries can cause burns, tissue damage, or death. All other battery-operated toys should be inspected to make sure the batteries are secure with screws and not accessible to children
- Magnetic toys – Two or more magnets can stick to each other causing gastrointestinal injuries and perforations if accidentally ingested
- Water-absorbent toys such as water beads, can expand if ingested and cause intestinal blockage
- Marbles, balls, coins and toys smaller than 1.75 inches in diameter can block airways
- Toys that shoot pieces at others can cause injuries, particularly to the eyes
- Toys made of material a child can chew through, uninflated balloons or pieces of broken balloons are also choking hazards
- Strings, straps, cords, loose parts or sharp edges on toys can also pose risks
Toys for children ages five and younger should be at least 1¼ inches in diameter and 2¼ inches in length to avoid choking.
For older children, dangerous gifts that require additional safety measures and supervision include:
- Nonmotorized and electric scooters
- Hoverboards
- Trampolines
- Chemistry sets
- Electrical toys with heating elements
Check that wooden toys don’t have splinters or toys with metal, such as bicycles, don’t have rust.
Be cautious about gifts on TikTok and social media
Children and pre-teens who use TikTok and social media may find toys and products they want, but that may be unsafe.
Water beads, for example, made of superabsorbent polymers. When placed in water, these beads can grow by 150 to 1,500 times their original size, according to Poison Control. This would make them grow from the size of a marble to a tennis ball. Some of these water beads are marketed to children as toys, but they are choking hazards, and if swallowed can swell in the body causing life-threatening intestinal damage.
In recent years, extensive skin care routines have become increasingly popular for pre-teens and teenagers. However, products with retinol, vitamin C, alpha- and beta- hydroxy acids, exfoliants and peptides are too harsh for adolescents. Any skin care product labeled anti-aging, tightening and wrinkle-reducing can disrupt a young person's skin barrier, which is not yet fully developed.
Checking for toy recalls and reporting unsafe toys
All toys for children 12 and younger must be third-party tested and certified by the CPSC. Packaging states the intended age range for each item.
Check the CPSC website to see if a toy has a recall or report any unsafe toys at the hotline at (800) 638-CPSC. Two recent recalls include the Dreamgro Lullaby mermaid travel soothers, which contain a choking hazard, and the Bright Builder Fort Kits with Flashlights, which contains button batteries in a compartment children can easily open.
It’s important for parents and caregivers to be diligent when it comes to keeping children safe.
Dr. Angela Seabright, D.O., is a care management physician at Blue Cross Blue Shield of Michigan. For more health tips and information, visit A Healthier Michigan.
Image: Getty Images
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