How to avoid buying unsafe toys for little kids

Every year in New Zealand, children three and under experience around 1,250 toy-related injuries, according to new ACC statistics.

To keep babies and young kids safe, it’s important to remember that some toys bought second-hand and from overseas retailers may not meet New Zealand’s product safety standards, says Plunket nurse Keli Livingston-Filipo.

She urges people shopping for Christmas gifts for little ones to first check out their 6-point toy safety checklist, which includes warnings related to sharp edges, too-long strings and small batteries.

In New Zealand, imported products which don’t meet our safety standards are “falling through the cracks”, Rasmussen says.

“Often, the enforcement and recall is happening once something’s landed on our shelves. We’re sort of in a model where, until something goes wrong, there’s not really a lot that’s happening. That’s quite a dangerous model because it means potentially someone is getting hurt.”

Toys which have small parts that can easily be removed, broken pieces that create sharp edges or built-in button batteries or small magnets can pose huge risks to babies and young children, Keli Livingston-Filipo says.

If you’re shopping around for second-hand toys on TradeMe or Facebook Marketplace, she recommends making sure they don’t contain any magnetic parts or batteries, she adds.

“Normally, you would see those in soft toys that can do stuff like hold hands or connect to another toy. You’ve also got the magnets of alphabet letters that can go on the fridge.

“As we know, children are very inquisitive, and if there’s a little [battery or magnet] to be found and pulled out, they’re going to find it.”