Put Away Your Toys: Safe Toy Storage

Choosing appropriate toys for your child is a first step; the second is storing them safely in your home. Parents and caregivers commonly use toy chests and storage shelves, both of which have some hazards that can be easily avoided. With toy chests, the lid can fall closed on a child who is leaning into the chest. If the child, trapped between the lid and the toy chest, is unable to free himself, he can strangle. A child may also climb into a toy chest (or another closed space) and be trapped inside. Without adequate ventilation, the child will suffocate. An industry safety standard addresses both of these hazards with toy chests. The standard requires toy chest lids to have a hinge or other mechanism that prevents them from falling closed. The standard also requires that toy chests have ventilation holes of a certain size and location.