How to Choose Safe, Age-Right Toys for Your Child
A quick checklist on materials, age labels and learning value -- the things worth reading on the box before you buy.
The age label on a toy box is not a difficulty rating. It is a safety rating, and it is mostly about how small the parts are. That single fact changes how you shop.
What to check on the box
- An age band, and an ISI or BIS mark where one applies.
- A small-parts warning if there is a child under three in the house.
- What the paint is -- non-toxic, water based, clearly stated.
- Battery compartments that close with a screw, not a clip.
Toys that last past the first week
Open-ended toys -- blocks, stacking rings, simple building sets -- get played with for years because the child decides what they are. Toys that do one thing on a button tend to be finished within days. If you are choosing between two, pick the quieter one.
And check it again after a few months of use. A cracked plastic edge or a loose wheel turns a safe toy into a small part.