Toy Recalls: 4 Products to Avoid as Gifts This Season (and Always)

Toy Recalls: 4 Products to Avoid as Gifts This Season (and Always)

These festive hover boards, bracelets, seats and musical toys all pose hazards to children.

It’s the holiday season and you want gifts for your kids that are both enjoyable and safe. Most toys on the shelves pose no risk to kids when they’re used with common sense (don’t give Lego to a newborn), and the adults have little to worry about.

That being said, toy recalls are announced regularly. Why? Sometimes something on the item in question poses a possible choking hazard, or maybe the paint has been found to not be to code. And other times, the dangers are more severe.

Here are 4 toys that you may wish to avoid, when shopping this holiday season:

1) Hover Boards

Yes, these things are still very dangerous. Just like Samsung’s Galaxy phones, hover boards have been know to have their battery explode. It’s not just messy but can cause a deadly fire, especially if it happens at night, while everyone is sleeping.

As Newsweek.com reported earlier this month, U.S safety officials recently recalled another 14,000 of the self-balancing scooters, in an effort to keep consumers safe.

Related: Kids and Laser Toys: The FDA Has These 3 Warnings and Tips

Consumers are still buying them in stores and off of Amazon, unaware of the real dangers that can cause a near miss, like this house fire in Nashville that almost left two teens dead, if it weren’t for the timely actions of their father who got their text.

They may look fun, but hover boards are definitely doing more than raising a few eyebrows. Go for a skateboard instead.

2) Baby Seats

Hoverboards and other toys that have been recalled this year pose a danger to kids and families.

This product is more a tool for parents than a toy for the child but nonetheless, it’s used for entertainment. Fisher Price’s Soothing Motion infant seats were recalled back in October of this year because the motor housing can overheat and catch fire.

Of course, you can’t find these in stores any longer, but if someone tries to sell you one on eBay, Amazon or a site like Craigslist, buyer beware.

The affected models were sold at Buy Buy Baby, Target, Toys R Us, Walmart and other stores nationwide and online at amazon.com between November 2015 and October 2017, for about $175.

3) Troll Slap Bracelets

Little gifts such as these cute bracelets can be great stocking stuffers for the kids. The only problem with these is that they were found to cause cuts and lacerations to the hands and fingers of those wearing them. The item was recalled back in September and again, could still be circulating online, so keep an eye out.

4) Wind-Up Toys

They really seem like they should be harmless, but apparently they’re not. “Waggy Musical Toys” plush wind-up toys from Carter’s, Child of Mine, Guess How Much I Love You and Just One You brands were recalled this fall because the metal post and handle that you wind can easily detach and makes it way into a child’s mouth. They were sold at Target, Walmart, Carters and other retailers across the country.

Photo credits: Africa Studio/Shutterstock.com

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