How to Choose Safe Toys

Despite the test seal, when buying a toy you should always convince yourself that there is no danger from a product. Here are some tips.

What toys must be like

The essential safety requirements for children’s toys include:

1. Toys must have the necessary strength and rigidity to withstand the stresses of play.
2. Corners, protrusions, cords, cables, and attachments of a toy should be such that risk of injury is minimized.
3. Toys for children under three years of age must be of a size that cannot be swallowed and/or inhaled. This also applies to individual components of a toy and detachable parts.
4. The toy as well as its packaging must not pose a risk of constriction or choking.
5. Electrically operated toys may have a maximum voltage of 24 volts.
6. Toys must not catch fire when directly exposed to a flame or must be flame retardant.
7. Toys must be designed and manufactured in such a way that no health hazards can arise from their ingredients when they are used, swallowed or inhaled, or when they come into contact with the skin.
8. Toys must be manufactured in such a way that risks of illness and infection are avoided.

What else you can and should look out for yourself can be found in the following tips.

Buying toys – but safely!

The essential safety requirements for children’s toys include:

1. Only buy products that meet the legal safety requirements and are marked accordingly (GS mark for “tested safety”, VDE seal).
2. If possible, inform yourself before you buy, for example via the consumer advice centers, Stiftung Warentest or Öko-Test.
3. When buying a toy, also rely on your senses: look closely and hold the product in your hand; pick at small parts and check whether rubbing causes paint to come off. And feel free to sniff the product – if it has a strong “chemical” smell, leave it on the shelf.
4. Hold toys that make noise or music directly to your ear. If it seems too loud to you there, it is not suitable for children’s ears. Refrain from using “noisy” toys such as crackers, toy trumpets, whistles and children’s guns.
5. Look for the words “PVC-free” or “phthalate-free” on plastic toys. This is because PVC often contains large amounts of plasticizers that are harmful to health. You can recognize better plastic alternatives either by the capital letters PP (polypropylene) or PE (polyethylene) or by the numbers 1, 2 or 4 to 6 in a triangle.
6. For wooden toys, prefer unpainted, waxed wood.
7. Plush toys should be washable and washed before first use. Remove bows and ribbons if necessary.
8. Take the warning “Not suitable for children under three years of age” seriously.
9. Avoid cheap toys. Random checks most often reveal harmful substances and limit values that have been exceeded.
10. Look around more often for good second-hand toys – harmful substances such as formaldehyde or harmful solvents have already evaporated in them. But be careful with older toys made of soft plastic: Here, an increased content of plasticizers is likely.