Toy Galaxy: Melissa and Doug, Australia. At Melissa Doug Toy Company Thriving on the Basics. How to Use the Melissa & Doug Abacus. Toxic Toys: Tips for Choosing Safe Toys for Kids. We’ve all heard about toxic toys.
But, is your child playing with them? And just how dangerous are they? Bellingham mom Lisa Campbell always looks for playthings that seem safe. “I’m a huge fan of Melissa and Doug’s wooden toys, because I know I don’t have to worry about harmful toxins in or on the toys,” she says. Toxic toys contain chemicals that, with enough exposure, have proven harmful to laboratory animals or humans. Lead, a metal widely known for its use in house paints, is primarily found in paint on foreign-manufactured toys and in toys made of polyvinyl chloride (PVC).
Campbell worries about toys with lead. Campbell’s worries aren’t unfounded. Why lead’s dangerous for kids “Lead poisoning is a real issue,” says Marcel Casavant, M.D., medical director of the Central Ohio Poison Center. Lead disrupts the chemistry in the kidneys, brain and bones, which can harm bone and tooth production, and lead to learning disabilities, reduced mental capacity and kidney failure. Phthalate fears. Choosing Safe Toys. Listen Millions of toys are out there, and hundreds of new ones hit the stores each year.
Toys are supposed to be fun and are an important part of any child's development. But each year, scores of kids are treated in hospital emergency departments for toy-related injuries. Choking is a particular risk for kids ages 3 or younger, because they tend to put objects in their mouths. Earlychildhood NEWS - Article Reading Center. Children are amazingly resourceful and creative.
They will transform cardboard boxes into space ships, stones into animals, and cardboard tubes into telephones. Children do not need the most expensive toys and equipment for optimal learning, but there are guiding principles and helpful processes to use in evaluating and selecting the most appropriate toys and materials. Determining NeedMost budget-conscious grocery shoppers work from a list to resist impulse and unnecessary buying. The same is true of toys and educational materials. Before shopping or ordering you need to know the amount to spend, the need, and the priority of those needs. Inventory ItemsLearning environments for young children should be rich with a wide variety of gathered and recycled materials and store-bought items children can explore, transform, and combine.
Attributes of a Great ToyThe best educational materials and toys are flexible—children use them in a variety of ways in different types of play. 12 Tips for Choosing Toys for Your Child. A reporter called me the other day to ask for my opinion about the new toys on the market for this holiday season.
I’m certainly not an expert on every toy that beckons from store shelves, but I do have some opinions about what makes a good toy. I thought maybe if I talked about some general principles, we could pool our thoughts and information to help each other pick suitable toys from the lot offered this year. I told the reporter that adults often seem to forget what toys are for.
Play is the “work” of childhood. While they play, our children are learning new skills, defining themselves as individuals, and practicing relationships with others and with the physical world. Finally, the toys adults choose to buy tell us as much about those adults as they do about the kids they are buying for. Choosing the Right Toys for the Right Age. Age-appropriate toys can still be fun, while being safe.
By Christina FrankWebMD Feature Reviewed by Cynthia Dennison Haines, MD WebMD Archive Give a kid a new toy -- almost any toy -- and chances are, you've got a happy kid. Young children generally aren't fussy when it comes to baby toys and kids toys, but parents should be. Toys are more than just playthings, though, and while they should be fun, they should also be age-appropriate, stimulating, and safe. When choosing age-appropriate baby toys or kids toys for a young child, keep these tips in mind: Keep them simple. Toys that do too much don't allow a child to use her own imagination.
Set limits on electronic toys and video games. We live in an electronic age, and any parent who thinks she can keep her child -- even a toddler -- away from computers and the like forever is kidding herself.