Toys, Choking, and Suffocation

In 2002 over 165,200 children under the age of 14 were treated in hospital emergency rooms for toy-related injuries. Children under the age of four account for almost 60% of these injuries. The leading cause of toy-related death was from choking.

It is natural for children, under the age of three to put everything in their mouths, which places them at a higher risk of choking from small objects.

The toy industry has established voluntary toy safety standards under the Standard Consumer Safety Specifications on Toy Safety. Toys and games have been rated, and warnings regarding appropriate age usage have been established and printed on toy packaging.

Still the best prevention is adult supervision.
 

-- Prevention is the BEST Protection
Maryland EMS for Children
2007