3. Be Careful!

     Choking

        Hazards

     Lack                Toy Recalls

                           Of Safety

     Standards

 Infectious Disease

   Garbage

There are several things you should know before attempting to harness the power of managing children in your business.

Choking Hazards

Toys that feature small pieces should not be accessible to young children.

How can you tell if an object is a choking hazard?

The Public Interest Research Group recommends using the cardboard toilet paper tube test.

“To see if any toy or part of a toy is potentially dangerous … place it in a choke test tube (a cardboard toilet paper tube).  If it fits entirely inside the tube in any orientation, it should not be given to children under 3 years old and others that still put things in their mouths.” (PIRG’s Tips for Toy Safety ‘01)

Be careful of any toys smaller than a child’s fist.

Be on the lookout for pieces of broken toys and other foreign objects, including left-behind toys.

“Choking was responsible for more than half, or 117 of the 190 toy-related children’s deaths reported between 1990 and 1999.”

(Associated Press State & Local Wire, 9/11/01)

Other Toy Hazards

Be on the Lookout for Additional Safety Issues

Lacerations

If a toy or play structure has sharp edges or corners, it could possibly injure a child in the form of cuts to hands, feet, etc.

Projectiles

Toys that launch or shoot objects are dangerous, particularly to the eyes.  Likewise, objects that can be thrown are could harm others or cause damage.

Fighting

Unfortunately, disputes over toys often lead to conflicts between children and sometimes fighting.  This problem arises when siblings are forced to share the same play area or duplicates of popular toys are not made available.

Finger Pinching

Any toy or play structure with moving parts should be inspected for finger pinching hazards.  The most common finger pinch danger, although not severe, comes from hinged doors and lids.

Infectious Disease

“One in ten toys that children play with in a doctors office or waiting room harbors harmful bacteria.”

(Medical Post, Canadian Business and Current Affairs. 5/23/2000)

“80% of all infectious disease is transmitted by either direct or indirect touch”

(Philip M. Tierno Jr., PhD. The Secret life of Germs…)

easily transmitted infectious diseases

(Especially with Children, Identified by The Mayo Clinic)

Common Colds        Strep Throat

The Flu Virus          Infectious Diarrhea

Pink Eye                 Hepatitis

Croup                     Impetigo

Rotavirus                Respiratory Syncytial Virus

The American Journal of Infection Control reports that shared toys have been associated with disease outbreaks in healthcare environments.

What is Nosocomial Transmission?

Actually, the term refers to infections that occur in a healthcare facility, often a hospital.

Healthcare providers are subject to strict procedures for environment sterility and infection control, since patients often harbor communicable diseases.

The same standards for cleanliness should apply to toys or children’s items in your business.

“Waiting rooms can be compared with childcare settings, where contamination of the environment and transmission of infectious agents occur at an increased rate compared with the home setting.”

(American Academy of Pediatrics, Committee on Infectious Disease, 2000)

The American Academy of Pediatricians, states in Standard 3.036 that, “cloth toys shall be for use by one individual only until these toys are laundered” and “toys that cannot be washed and sanitized shall not be used.”

Particularly Bad Toys

These Toys Do Not Belong in Your Business.

“Tests revealed ALL the soft toys and nearly two-thirds of the hard toys were contaminated with bacteria.”

(Based on a sample of 10 Soft toys and 40 hard toys in a doctor’s office, collected by GP Dr. Ian McKay and microbiologist Dr. Tom Gillespie, Pulse. 4/8/2000)

Soft Toys

Soft toys include fuzzy plush toys and any fabric-covered objects.  These items are very difficult to clean and disinfect, thus should not be provided in your business.

Mouth Toys

Toys that are intended for, or attract contact with a child’s mouth should not be made available in public environments.

Throwing and Hitting Toys

Items that encourage dangerous behavior, such as physically striking a person or throwing should be avoided.

Inappropriate Content

Any toy or game should be screened for unsuitable content. This includes games based on violence or illegal activities and toys that promote injuring or killing people.

Ineffective & Destructive Toys

What may be good for safety and of a type of play that is very appropriate for your environment, is only good if it occupies a child thoroughly and a child is prone to use it correctly.

Toys that Promote Animated Behavior

Toys the encourage a child to move and be animated is destructive to your business process and possibly dangerous.

The Ubiquitous Bead Mazes

A common approach to accommodating children in waiting environments is providing very simple wire and bead maze.  We love their safety aspect, but they keep the child from the parent, promote competition with other children and often do not engage a child for long.

Printed Materials for Children

Children’s books may sound like a good way to keep a child distracted, but they are only effective for children that are intrinsically motivated to learn.  Otherwise, a parent has to encourage and assist the use of these materials.