Soft toys are popular but are they safe?
Most little children have soft toys they carry around with them everywhere they go. These adorable soft toys are more than just toys. They provide little children a sense of comfort and companionship. For most kids, these soft toys are their lifetime best friend. Some of us still have our favourite soft toys from our childhood.
At first glance, soft toys are simple but they are also great for early development. No wonder why many parents buy these toys for their kids. Soft toys are one of the best toys for your children’s first pretend play sessions. They can pretend to be someone else or act out scenarios based on their experience. These toys can be enjoyed alone or with others.
Generally, soft toys are safe for babies. However, there are a few things to look out for and keep in mind before buying these toys and when your babies start playing them.
You want your babies to play with the best and safest toys and doing enough research can help you find the right toys for your babies. Before buying a soft toy, you should do ample research on its safety, materials and experience by other consumers. Stores usually publish customers reviews online so other potential customers can read about them. You can take advantage of these and take note of what other consumers had to say about the soft toy.
Moreover, read every product details and any relevant information about the soft toy. Information about the soft toy’s materials and its features.
There are many soft toys that are made from materials that could expose your children to dangerous chemicals like bisphenol-A (BPA), polyvinyl chloride (PVC), lead, heavy metals like cadmium and other hormone disrupting chemicals. As a rule of thumb, if you are not familiar with the materials listed, you are better off finding something else.
Other things to look out for our components of the soft toy. Steer clear from toys that have detachable parts because these are potential choking hazards. You do not want these soft toys near your babies especially if your children have developed a bad habit of putting toys into their mouths.
You should also avoid soft toys that have components that will eventually come off like buttons and beads.
Regardless of how well they’re sewn or glued into the fabric, you are better off avoiding toys with these components completely. Generally, you want to avoid these with anything that comes in contact with your babies including but not limited to any kinds of toys, clothing, bedding, accessories and decorations.
Another thing to look out for is strings and wires. If your soft toys have wires and loose strings, get rid of them immediately. Wires on the insides of soft toys will eventually poke through and could cause serious injuries to your little one. Similarly, any loose strings can entangle your children’s fingers.
Make sure that you buy soft toys that are easy to wash. Not all parents have the time to wash toys as often as they should so if you are a busy parent, buy toys that you can wash using your washing machine.
Also, keep your babies’ beds and cribs free from any soft toys especially those that are larger than your baby because these huge soft toys can cause suffocation.
