RALEIGH, N.C. -- Don't look now, but there are only 33 shopping days until Christmas.
And chances are you'll be shopping for toys at some point in the next month.
But how safe are those toys?
It's toy review time at the Playspace Children's Museum.
"We go around to see if our museum is safe from those kinds of items," said Julie Paul, Playspace director.
She's talking about the North Carolina Public Interest Research Group's annual warning about unsafe toys.
This year NCPIRG researchers found toys with hidden dangers.
The
report, called Trouble in Toyland, found new dangers in one of the
hottest toy designs -- building sets, jewelry with powerful magnets.
If a child swallows more than one magnet, those magnets can attract each other in the body.
When they become attracted, they form an even bigger blockage, bowel obstruction, or even cause life-threatening perforations.
The group even found toys not labeled as choking hazards but were still dangerous.
One
simple way to check for choking hazards is to use a toilet paper roll
and see if an item fits in it. If it does, it is unsafe for child under
age 3.
Parents
say as technology makes toys more sophisticated and marketing makes
toys more attractive, keeping kids safe becomes more challenging.
"You have to be aware. If you're not thinking you're not doing your job as a parent," said parent Neil Fox.
Some other concerns include balloons marketed to kids younger than 8 years old because balloons are choking hazards.
The group also found toxic chemicals in children's jewelry and makeup.
