Parents look forward to their children’s excitement when they open gifts during the holidays, but it’s important to remember some of the toys that bring joy can also pose sometimes unseen dangers to kids.
“One of the biggest concerns we have during the holidays is any kind of gift with small magnets or batteries that can potentially be swallowed by small children,” said Dr. Abby Smolcich, ThedaCare pediatrician.
Small, shiny round magnets — the kind that are sometimes seen with desk sets and certain toys — were causing so many injuries to children that the U.S. Consumer Product Safety Commission (CPSC) stopped the sale of them in 2012. A U.S. Court of Appeals overturned the ruling, and when the magnets went back on the market in 2017, Nationwide Children’s Hospital reported a 400% increase in the number of children hospitalized for magnet ingestion.
The reason they are so dangerous is that if more than one magnet is swallowed, they can connect to each other through tissue, cutting off blood supply and creating blockages, which can lead to severe injury, infection or death.
“One of the additional problems with these magnets is that problems may not start for hours,” Smolcich said. “Parents may think the child will be fine and the magnet just needs to pass, not knowing that the child swallowed more than one. Children may also be reluctant to admit how many they actually swallowed.”
Button batteries or small lithium coin cell batteries also pose danger to children. Swallowing either of these can cause injury. Even if a child simply places a button cell battery — the type used in watches and hearing aids — in the nose or ear, seek immediate medical attention as these batteries can cause damage to the nasal septum or eardrum, lead to infections or trouble breathing, and impact a child’s ability to smell or hear.
Lithium coin cell batteries, which are thinner and have a higher voltage than button batteries, and they can be found in items like scales, key fobs and some electronic toys and games. These batteries, which are about the size of a nickel, are considered the most dangerous to young children. Because of their size, they can lodge in a child’s esophagus, and they will cause chemical burns through the esophagus within two hours. This is a life-threatening emergency.
“Never wait to seek medical attention if you believe your child has swallowed a battery,” Smolcich said. “Thousands of children are hospitalized each year and unfortunately, some of these result in fatal outcomes.”
Trampolines and scooters also frequently make lists of toys and equipment that can cause injuries to kids. According to the U.S. Consumer Product Safety Commission, about 206,000 children in the United States were treated for toy-related injuries in 2021. The agency said U.S. emergency departments treated more than 224,000 children due to toy-related injuries, with nonmotorized scooters associated with the largest percentage of them. In June, one type of scooter was recalled because a wheel could become loose or fall off.
Each year, a consumer watchdog group releases an annual list of the most dangerous toys ahead of the holiday season. World Against Toys Causing Harm, Inc. recently released its 2023 list of the “10 Worst Toys” and warned parents about potentially dangerous toys.
One of the items on the list are water beads, which are often used as sensory toys. Other items are toy weaponry with the potential for blunt force and eye injuries, plush pillow toys that could potentially lead to infant suffocation and other small toys that can potentially lead to choking or ingestion injuries.
“Parents should also pay attention to toy recalls as they most often address concerns of safety,” Smolcich said. “That includes bicycle helmets, which are vital to preventing head injuries. Damaged or recalled bike helmets can fail to protect in the event of a crash, posing a risk of head injury.”
Smolcich reiterates that the holidays are a great time to be with friends and family, and caregivers should just remember to monitor the toys that children are receiving.
“If we keep a close eye on our little ones, it will help us all enjoy the season,” she said.
Some toys dangerous for small children
