Toy Safety and the Holiday Season

Each year as the holiday season approaches in North County San Diego and throughout Southern California, news reports begin to announce toy recalls and dangerous toys that may pose serious injury risks to kids. According to the Consumer Product Safety Commission, about 155,000 kids under the age of 13 require treatment in emergency rooms for injuries caused by toys. There are various reasons that toys cause injuries, from product defects to younger children having access to toys that are designed for older kids and contain small parts.

What should you know about toy safety and the holiday season? Whether you are shopping for gifts or you need help determining liability for a toy-related injury that occurred during the holiday season, an experienced Encinitas personal injury lawyer can help.

Most Dangerous Toys in 2024

Some toys were more dangerous than others in 2024, resulting in child injury and posing injury risks. A report from CBS News cites recent lists from the California Public Interest Research Group (CALPIRG) and the World Against Toys Causing Harm (WATCH) that point to choking hazards, suffocation risks, and laceration risks. Some toys identified as particularly dangerous include:

• Pinovk Toy Colt 45 Pistol;
• Snackles-Sandy infant pillow;
• Bristle Hedgehog;
• Transformers Earthspark Cyber-Sleeve;
• Kinetic Sand Scents Ice Cream Treats;
• Wubble Rumblers Inflatable Furious Fist;
• Click N Play Toy Remote Set;
• X-Shot Poppy Playtime;
• Playzone-Fit Tri-Flyer; and
• Zoo Jamz Doggy Xylophone.

Many other toys can also pose injury risks. As the CBS News report underscores, “some manufacturers circumvent safety regulations by removing words like ‘toy’ or ‘play’ from their marketing materials.” In addition, safety standards for toys in the United States are not always met by overseas toymakers, and buying toys from international sellers on Amazon or eBay can also result in toys that have gone through less rigorous safety testing. When it comes to online sellers, it is also important to remember that pre-owned toys may have been subject to safety recalls.

What to Do After a Child Toy Injury

If your child was injured by a toy, it is important to seek legal advice to determine whether you may be able to file a product defect or negligence claim. Some children’s toys contain design or manufacturing defects, while others have marketing defects, which means that they have not been marketed in a way that alerts consumers to potential safety issues.

According to Stanford Medicine Children’s Health, it is important to think about safety whenever you give a toy to a child. For young children, injury risks are often related to choking. As such, it is important to consider the size of the toy. For older kids, it is important to make sure they have any necessary safety gear and that they are using the toy properly.

Contact Our North County Personal Injury Lawyers Today

Parents and caregivers do nearly everything they can to protect children from injuries, yet child injuries occur more often than most of us like to think and can be serious. While the holiday season should be a joyful time of the year for kids, gifts — and especially toys — might pose injury hazards. It is important to be mindful about gift-giving, and it is important to seek legal advice if a product defect results in your child sustaining an injury. Toys commonly have a range of defects, and it may be possible to hold the designer, manufacturer, or retailer of the toy or one of its components accountable for any harm. One of the North County personal injury attorneys at our firm can speak with you today about your case. Contact the North County Injury Lawyers for more information.