The day after Thanksgiving is well known as the biggest holiday shopping day of the year!  It's a day when extreme sales are offered shoppers, some beginning in the wee hours of the morning!  Childsafetyblog.org has learned that there are some troubling toys on the shelves and wants to alert you to the ones we already know about and make sure you know what to look for in safety features for your children's toys. 

As you and your family members shop for children's toys, we hope you will evaluate the toys being marketed for children's use carefully, purchasing only the toys which are prescribed for your children's ages and skill levels--there are reasons some toys are designated for 5-year-olds and not for those under 3; many of those reasons are for children's safety.

It is important for parents and those purchasing children's toys to note whether a toy has any detachable part that could be swallowed, whether it is sharp or makes noises which are too loud, whether it functions as it should, whether it has inflatable balls or beads, contains lead paint or cadmium or antimony--all of these things have become important watch words to child safety in recent days.  If there are loose parts, hinges or seats, as in the case of some cribs, strollers, and high chairs, parents need to refrain from purchasing the childhood furniture.  Parents need to use their best judgment when purchasing toys for use by children.

Here are only a few toys listed on the U.S. Public Interest Research Group's (http://www.uspirg.org ) website as having been recalled in the past year due to safety factors--Parents can also check http://www.cpsc.gov for toys which have been recalled:  Any manufacturer's) Children's sweatshirts with hoods with drawstrings (strangulation hazard);

"Action Team" Toy Dart Gun set (choking hazard);

"Best Friends" Charm Bracelet Sets (high levels of cadmium, made in China);

"Big Rex and Friends" Cloth Books (high level of lead in the red dot in the book, imported from China);

"Fly Dragonfly" Remote Control Helicopters (Fire hazard--the battery in the helicopter can overheat, posing fire and burn hazards to a child; made in China for ImagineNation Books);

High Speed "Pull Back" Toy Cars (high level of lead in the paint on the toy; made in China imported to the U.S.);

2011 Model Year Giant Bicycles (the frame can crack at the union of the seat post and top tube posing a fall hazard to riders; made in Taiwan)

Allreds Design Baby Bracelets and Pacifier Clips (high levels of lead; made in Utah, U.S.A.)

There are more toys on the US PIRG list--and there is an entire report released November 23, 2010, the 25^th Annual "Trouble in Toyland" Report in PDF format which can be downloaded and read by parents and those purchasing children's toys this holiday season.

CNN's T.J. Holmes also noted today that two children's toys specifically were cited by the U.S. PIRG as "troubling" and they include the Dora, The Explorer™ Backpack and the Fisher-Price "Let's Get Building" toy.  There are a variety of factors that parents should check about most toys on the market.  Noting where a toy was manufactured lately seems to have a bearing on its probable safe use by children. The United States' standards are high when it comes to kids' toys.  And parents can report unsafe toys to the U.S. Consumer Product Safety Commission to help to keep the U.S. toy manufacturers' standards high.  Visit http://www.cpsc.gov to view recalled toys and learn how to report an unsafe toy.

If you, as a parent or caregiver, don't think it looks safe for a child to use, it probably isn't.  But even when you think it is safe, it's best to check the toy thoroughly and monitor the child's use of the toy if you do purchase it.