Be on the lookout for dangerous children's toys this Christmas

The holiday season is a major money-maker for stores and product manufacturers, but it can also be a dangerous time for consumers. Dangerous and defective products can make it onto store shelves at any time of year, but the holidays are particularly hazardous because of the high volume of merchandise being purchased.

With Christmas coming up next week, many parents are rushing to find those perfect last-minute gifts for their kids. If you are in this situation, you may want to take a few minutes to do some internet research. Every year, consumer advocacy groups issue reports on dangerous children’s toys to avoid.

Perhaps the most well-known report is the annual “Trouble in Toyland” investigation, published by the U.S. Public Interest Research Group. Now in its 29th year of publication, the current Trouble in Toyland report identifies about two dozen toys that may be hazardous to children.

The most common types of dangers identified are:

• Toys that contain unsafe levels of toxic or otherwise harmful chemicals, including lead (5 products on this year’s list)
• Toys that can cause serious injury if ingested (3 products on this year’s list)
• Toys with small parts that pose a choking hazard (16 products on this year’s list)

You can read the full Trouble in Toyland report if you want more detailed information. But you can also see a summary of the toys identified as dangerous on the U.S. PIRG website.

Hopefully, most parents will be able to learn enough ahead of time to avoid buying their children dangerous toys. Unfortunately, this doesn’t always happen and a significant number of kids are injured annually by these hazardous products. If your child is injured or sickened by a dangerous toy or other hazardous product, you may be able to hold the manufacturer liable. Please share your concerns with an experienced personal injury attorney.