Information Update - Health Canada Encourages Holiday Shoppers to Consider Toy Safety

OTTAWA, Nov. 29, 2012 /CNW/ - As the holiday shopping season approaches, the Government of Canada is joining the US Consumer Product Safety Commission and Mexico's Consumer Protection Federal Agency (Profeco), to encourage consumers to put safety first when buying children's toys.

Being informed shoppers helps consumers choose toys to keep children safe.

Consumer product safety agencies in Canada, the US and Mexico are working together to raise awareness of toy safety issues among holiday consumers, who are choosing, purchasing and supervising the use of children's toys. This builds on our ongoing efforts to decrease the number of childhood injuries related to toys through outreach to industry and the public, guided by legislation.

Recommended safety tips:

• Always supervise children at play and teach them how to use toys safely.
• Select toys suitable for the child's age group, and make sure to read and follow all instructions provided with the toy.
• When preparing your toy shopping list, check the Government of Canada's recalls and safety alerts database for recalled toys.
• When purchasing riding toys, like scooters, or skates, skis or a snowboard as a gift, give the appropriate safety gear, too. Appropriate helmets and safety gear should be worn properly at all times, and they should be sized to fit.
• Toys with small loose parts can be dangerous for children under three years of age or older children who are still putting things in their mouths. Keep them out of reach.

For more information on toy safety, please visit the Healthy Canadians website.

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SOURCE: Health Canada

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