Children need toys. Whether it’s a cardboard box made into a pirate ship or a playhouse, children need play to develop their imagination and social skills. As parents, we do everything we can to see that they’re happy. In these uncertain times, many of us have relied on toys to help ease the stress of social distancing, homeschooling, and overall boredom. A year into the pandemic, we still have questions.
How long will my children have to go back and forth between in-class and virtual classes?
Will they fall behind?
How long will mask culture persist?
What we may not have thought we needed to ask is how safe is our children’s toys. However, articles are enlightening parents that the Consumer Product Safety Commission has been all but non-existent over the year. So, who is guarding our children against unsafe and hazardous toys? No one.
If your child has been injured by a toy, you need a product liability attorney in Los Angeles, California. The dedicated team at JML Law are premier defective product lawyers. We will work aggressively to hold the makers of defective and hazardous toys accountable. Contact us today.
Hazardous and Dangerous Toys are Slipping by Unchecked
According to researchers at USA Today, security checks for lead, chemicals, and choking hazards have shut down from mid-March through to September. The Spring and Summer months are the busiest time of year for toys to come through our ports, leaving millions of toys unchecked. No warnings to consumers have been issued. After examining the past three years of records, it has been found that this year reports for dangerous toys are down by alarming numbers. During June and July, there were no toys reported for toxic lead levels, a frequent violation. August saw less than 2% of its previous year’s screenings. Some ports are still not being inspected.
What does all this mean? We have no way to tell if the toy on the shelf or in our Amazon shopping cart is safe. The toys you bought for the holidays, birthdays, and will buy in the coming months could be wrought with hazardous chemicals, parts that break off and choke or cut your child. The pandemic has seen parents take on the role of teacher and now will see us become inspectors, too.
What do you do
Research. Research the toy, find out where it is made, the material used to make it, inspect it to see if parts break off, look at reviews, everything. Look for BPA-free, natural or recyclable material. Stick with a well-researched brand of toys whose manufacturing is still small. Most of all, use your common sense. If you have a three-year-old who likes to put everything in their mouth and can be rough with toys, make sure the little screws keeping it together stay in place. If you are going the Montessori route and opt for lots of wooden toys, make sure your toddler can’t break off pieces of the wood by hammering away on their weening table.
We’re in this for the long haul. Pirate ships and princess castles made of cardboard are still great. Let’s rely less on lead-ridden balls in the ball pit and build more forts out of the couch cushions.
Common Toys That Cause Injuries
According to the Children’s Safety Network, CSN, there are common injuries that place kids from 0-19 in emergency rooms across the US.
- Riding toys, like skateboards and scooters, account for 44%
- Balls and other non-specified toys injure 8%
- Building sets contribute to 2.7% of emergency room injuries
Choking on small parts or parts that break off kill thousands of children under four every year. As children age, motorized riding toys cause head injuries, a leading cause of emergency room visits for children 3-14. Let’s be mindful of the toys we give our children, keep a closer eye, and stop relying on a government agency that saw fit to allow hazardous toys to our shelves.
How We Can Help
Los Angeles defective product liability attorneys, JML Law, are here to help you and your family. We believe that manufacturers and toy companies who are negligent should be held accountable. If your child has been injured by a defective or hazardous toy, you need the best product liability lawyers in Los Angeles, California. You need JML Law. Contact us for a free consultation of your case by clicking here or calling us at 818-610-8800.
