How to avoid toy-related injuries

(WHTM) — After unwrapping the presents today, you may want to sort through all the gifts your kids got.

December is safe toys and gifts month and and Christmas is a good reminder to think about toy safety.

To help avoid toy-related injuries. Pediatrician Gina Robinson with Cleveland Clinic Children’s says it’s important to read labels closely.

“Developmentally, certain toys are geared for certain age groups. So, you’re trying to buy things that are developmentally appropriate for the child’s motor skills, their language skills and kind of encourage and nurture those things. But then often those toys that are not safe for toddlers are going to have smaller pieces, or they may have batteries, or they may have pieces that could break off,” she said.

You want to make sure your child is within the recommended age range for the toy. You should also look out for any warnings on the box.

Not only do toys that contain small batteries or magnets pose a potential choking hazard, they can also cause internal damage if swallowed.

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It’s also crucial to keep video games and toys for older kids out of reach from younger kids in the same household.

“I try to encourage parents to keep the older sibling’s toys in one place and help the older sibling, you know, remind him or her to do that as well, so that when the toddler’s roaming around in the places that are safe, those small pieces are not in that space. They’re in the older sibling’s room, or play area, or someplace that’s separate if possible.”

Dr. Robinson adds, if your child received something like a bike or scooter, make sure they have the safety equipment that goes along with those gifts.

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