Health Experts Warn Parents About Toy-Related Injuries During Christmas

ROANOKE, Va. – Thanksgiving is finally over and it’s time for parents to buy all the toys on their kids’ Christmas lists; But health officials are urging parents to be careful.

Doctors said they are seeing more children going to the emergency room for toy-related injuries during the Christmas season.

“It’s common for children to get into things they shouldn’t and have a problem with small toys, especially their ears, getting stuck in their noses or being swallowed. “These are common emergency medicine presentations in the emergency department,” said Dr. Lewis Gale Chief and Medical Director of Emergency Services. Puneet Chopra.

To ensure your child’s safety, Dr. Chopra said to buy age-appropriate toys. You can tell if a toy is age appropriate by looking at its packaging. Usually, the age ranges of the toys are on the boxes.

He also says you can buy small parts testers.

“It’s good that they run that small parts tester or use the toilet paper roll to make sure that the parts of the toy that might come apart, come loose, or come loose can get inside the child and play with because that’s a good thing to measure the size of the child’s airway to make sure it’s at least bigger than that, because then it becomes much more difficult to swallow and gets stuck in the airways,” said Dr. Chopra.

She also said to be sure to watch for loose wires, metal parts or sharp plastics when assembling your kids’ toys.

Finally, avoid button batteries or magnets, which can cause internal injuries or burns.

By the way, if you’re putting up your Christmas tree, inspect the lights, looking for frayed wires or missing bulbs.

“Follow the manufacturer’s recommendations, make sure you do not overload electrical outlets. It is always best to use it like an extension cord rather than an extension cord,” said Brian Clingenpeel, Outreach Coordinator with Roanoke County Fire and Rescue.

If you’re buying a live tree, don’t buy it right away, Clingenpeel said.

“If you can buy a fresh one, that’s a little bit closer to Christmas and then it’s really important to water it, water it every day,” Clingenpeel said.

He also said that if you’re attaching lights, use plastic clips, never metal nails or staples.