Putting Safety on Santa’s List

Gaps in Toy Safety Standards Put Toddlers at Risk As the biggest toy-buying season gets underway, we unfortunately feel compelled to raise some troubling questions about this country's toy-safety standards. In particular, the recent recall of Playschool's Team Talkin' Toy Bench forces us to ask if these standards are sufficient to eliminate choking hazards. Additionally, we are concerned that companies may not be correctly labeling their  toys for the appropriate age.

In late September, we reported on the Playschool recall that was prompted by the death of two toddlers -- a 19-month-old boy and a 25-month-old boy.  In both cases, an oversized plastic toy nail from the toy's tool bench became lodged in the child's throat.  The details of the cases are too horrific to report here. The recall notice issued by the U.S. Consumer Product Safety Commission  clearly pointed out that the toy nails were not considered a small part and that the Team Talkin' Tool Bench was intended for children age 3 and older. 

Consumer Reports wanted to figure out why this toy was hazardous, so we obtained a sample and tested it. We found that the toy nails at issue met U.S. mandatory and voluntary safety standards.  So what went wrong? We believe a variety of factors -- each and every one troubling -- contributed to the fatalities. Parents know that small parts can be a choking hazard.  A warning is supposed to appear on packaging if a choking hazard exists.  To measure for themselves, parents can also buy the industry-standard test cylinder.  But research by the product-safety consulting firm Intertek-RAM showed that the small parts test cylinder failed to catch 23% of the hazardous objects that caused fatal choking incidents.  Despite the weakness of the screening tool, safety standards continue to call for its use to identify choking hazards.

One part of the toy safety standard deals with spherical objects at the end of shafts that could present choking hazards, just like the nail on the Playschool tool bench.  But this section of the standard applies only to toys intended for children up to the age of 18 months.  Since the Team Talkin' Tool Bench was age-graded for 3 year olds and up, this part of the toy safety standard did not apply.

Although the tool bench was labeled for children 3 and older, it clearly was attractive to younger children.  The toys on the tool bench have friendly faces with bright eyes.  They move, they talk, and they make noises that would be attractive to kids far younger than 3.  This makes us seriously question whether the Playschool tool bench was appropriately age-graded.

The lapses in our toy safety standards are disturbing. Why isn't the small parts test cylinder more effective at screening out choking hazards?  Why doesn't the part of the safety standard that deals with spherical objects at the end of shafts cover toys intended for children older than 18 months?  Why wasn't the Playschool tool bench age-graded based on its play value?  We have asked the toy safety committee of ASTM International to address these concerns (ASTM is a voluntary safety-setting standard group). We've also asked for CPSC involvement.  ASTM has set up a special task force to investigate.

In the meantime, we want to urge anyone buying toys for toddlers to follow these tips:

• Only buy toys whose age-grading matches the age of the child in question. Don't assume that your little Einstein is ahead of the curve or that buying more advanced toys will enhance child development.  Age grading relates to the safety of the toy as well as its play value.
• Look for warning labels on a toy's package that suggests it may pose a choking hazard and never give a toy whose packaging bears such a warning to a child under 3.  Mark a red "X" with permanent ink on any toy that poses a choking hazard as a reminder should you be tempted to pass the toy down to a toddler.
• Use a common cardboard tube from a roll of toilet paper to screen out choking hazards.  Any part small enough to pass through the tube easily should be considered a suspect hazard.
• Meanwhile go through your children's toy chest. There are many products that have similar characteristics to the Playschool toy nails.  If your toddler has any toys with similar looking parts, take them away until the child is older.

The CPSC has more tips on toy safety, which have been updated to reflect popular products such as ride-on toys, as well as accessories such as AC adapters  and chargers. You can read the full tips here.