Toys: Unwrapped
While it might be the time of year when surprises are the status quo, one surprise you won’t want this holiday season is a recalled toy. Early shoppers take note: There have been 44 children’s toys recalled so far in 2010, some as recent as this month. So to make sure that one of these toys isn’t wrapped in bright paper lying under your Christmas tree, we’ve provided a few highlights.
The most recently recalled toy, a rocking horse from Rocking Horse Depot, was voluntarily recalled last month in response to a child injury involving near-strangling within the horse’s reigns.
If you’ve bought any bathtub toys by Munchkin in the past year, you’ll want to look them up – several were recalled in October. And Fisher-Price – a big name in children’s toys – has recalled more than 10 million products this year. Among them any infant toys with inflatable balls due to their possible choking hazard, children’s trikes due to their possible injury risk and any 2010 high chair model. Several other toys are included in the recall, so be sure to check with Fisher-Price for a complete list.
Lead, always a risk in toys and other products, has been found youth tiaras manufactured by Wilton, and metal charm bracelets for children sold at Claire’s.
If you chose a toy dart gun as a stocking stuffer, make sure it wasn’t purchased from Family Dollar. Their dart guns have been recalled after two reports of asphyxiation deaths.
Help keep the season merry by reading warning labels and age recommendations on toys before presenting them to a child. And, of course, take a look at this year’s recall list to make sure your presents – and your child’s safety, remain under wraps.