How to choose safe Christmas gifts for your child

How to choose safe Christmas gifts for your child
Image credit: Flickr (CC) / Yellow Ponny

Christmas is almost here and children can’t wait to receive their gifts. Here are a few tips how to choose a safe Christmas gift for your child.

There are several things you need to consider when choosing a gift for a small child. The first thing is the age. The younger the child, the safer the toy needs to be.

This is why you should read the age ranges of the labels of the toy. Toys for younger kids have no small removable parts which can be swallowed. Even so, take a close look at the toy and see if there are any parts that can be removed or torn off easily. If there are – it is best to choose another toy. For Barbie dolls, you can choose them as a gift, but be sure to remove the shoes and all other small accessories.

Also, avoid toys with batteries when it comes to children of very young age. Especially toys that use button batteries (those almost flat, round ones). If the child likes a particular electronic toy, give it to the child only when you can supervise or even play along. A good tip is that if it can go through the hole of a toilet paper roll, then it is a choking hazard and it should not be played with without adult supervision.

For stuffed animals, be sure they have the CE mark that they have passed the quality tests. Also get stuffed animals that have their eyes, nose and other details sewed on instead of having plastic eyes for example that are easy to tear off by children.

Arts and crafts are also a good gift, especially if the child likes to draw or create things. Be sure to choose age appropriate sets and always keep an eye out during play. Coloring books should be fine.

If you have two or more children of different ages in the household, then make sure the younger children can’t access the toys of the older children, just to be on the safe side. Here are some more tips in the video below:

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