Toy Hazards Parents Should Watch for Over the Holidays: CPSC Report

With the holidays just around the corner, parents everywhere are on the search for this year’s hottest toys for their little ones. While there are certainly plenty of choices, the Consumer Product Safety Commission (CPSC) is urging parents to carefully consider the safety of what toys they buy for their tots this year.

The CPSC recently released its annual Toy-Related Deaths and Injuries report. While toy-related ER visits have decreased by 8 percent since 2016, the report still found that in 2023, there were 10 deaths and an estimated 154,700 toy-related ER visits among children 12 years and younger.

Most of the 10 deaths reported were linked to choking hazards from small balls or crayons, drownings associated with flotation toys, entrapment in toy chests, or ingestion of water beads. Among injuries treated in the ER, non-motorized scooters were the biggest culprit, accounting for 54,000 incidents—or about 1 in 5 toy-related injuries to children under 15.

For injuries overall, cuts and scrapes topped the list as the most common toy-related issues across all age groups. Bruises and bumps, such as contusions and abrasions, were the second most reported injuries for children under 15, while ingestion of small items like beads or toy parts posed the highest risk for kids under 5.

So, what can parents do to keep their kids safe this holiday season? Beyond avoiding risky toys like non-motorized scooters and watching out for choking, drowning and entrapment hazards, the CPSC offers these four key tips:

1. Follow age guidance and other safety information on toy packaging and choose toys that match each child’s interests and abilities.
2. Get safety gear, including helmets, for scooters and other riding toys–and make sure that children use them every time.
3. Keep small balls and toys with small parts away from children younger than age 3 and keep deflated balloons away from children younger than age 8.
4. Once the gifts are open, immediately discard plastic wrappings or other packaging on toys before they become dangerous playthings.

“From online shopping to in-person gatherings, safety and protecting our children should be a top priority this holiday season,” said CPSC Chair Alex Hoehn-Saric. “By being mindful of product hazards, checking for recalls and purchasing from reputable sources, you can protect your loved ones and ensure a joyous and accident-free holiday for all.”

You can see more tips for shopping safely and other information for keeping your household safe over the holidays at CPSC.gov.