Toy safety isn’t something that jumps into your head when you are sewing a cute little home made baby toy… BUT I think one can never be too careful when it comes to making sure the toys we make for babies are 100% safe too.
I am NOT a toy safety authority, in fact I REALLY didn’t think about toy safety MYSELF until I started making toys for my friends’ newborn babies!
So If you know of any other Toy Safety tips for baby toys, please share them...
...so we can ALL benefit - and our babies too!
: )
When I designed the Baby-safe Bunny, I made him with sewn on features, so no bits to chew and choke on, that way I could be sure that my baby bunny gifts would be 100% baby safe.
If you follow a few simple guidelines, it is quite easy to make sure ALL the toys you make as baby gifts will be safe for baby gifts.
Toy safety and babies is a topic covered in most New mum baby-guide books but there is also tons of toy safety information online. I found a lot of great information online over the years...
From what I have read, the main concern is for children UNDER 3 years of age, and the main concerns would be:
- toxic or harmful materials,
- choking dangers
- and strangulation hazards.
Here are some simple guidelines that I have found in my research so far…
- Toys shouldn’t have any small parts (like buttons, safety eyes or beads) that are smaller than 35mm in diameter.
Long strings and ribbons can strangle a baby, keeping them shorter than 30 cm or remove them when giving the toy to a baby.
-
Use strong stitching to prevent choking on filling materials.
TOY SAFETY TIP: I found this tip on the Parenting and Child Health website - Polystyrene bead stuffing is dangerous because the beads are easy to swallow or get into a child’s lungs. (I have seen a lot of toys around lately with these squidgy polystyrene beads and was wondering where to source it – BUT I think I’ll cross that off my list now!)
- When making home made toys, it is best to use new, hypo-allergenic toy stuffing, and non-toxic marker pens and craft glue.
- If your toys are made with fabrics bought from a reputable source like your local fabric shop, they will be unlikely to be made using toxic dyes and harmful chemicals. If you are making the toy for someone who has particular health concerns, like asthma, organic fabrics and’ certified chemical-free fabrics’ can be used and these are much more widely available these days – (usually online).
TOY SAFETY TIP: If you want to remove dust mites from soft toys you can put them in the freezer for at least 6 hours to kill off the mites.
- All toys given to babies should be cleaned frequently.
TOY SAFETY TIP: I found this tip on safekids.co.uk - Toys which have been in contact with food products, or which have been outside, should be regularly cleaned.
Well, that's a good start !
Don't forget to share YOUR toy safety tips! : )
Bye for now,
Pauline