Safety tips for specific toy types
Some toys require extra caution because they pose specific safety risks. Understanding these risks can help you choose age-appropriate toys and use them more safely.
On this page
- Balloons
- Battery powered toys
- Magnetic toys
- Play tents and play tunnels
- Projectile toys
- Ride-on toys, tricycles, scooters and wagons
- Slip and slides and splash pads
- Toys with long cords or strings
- Toys with small parts
- Water beads
- Water toys
- Stay informed
Important
Always follow the age label and manufacturer’s instructions for all types of toys.
Supervise children during play, especially around water.
Check toys regularly for tears and leaks, as well as loose, broken or damaged parts. Make sure toys are working properly and throw away broken toys.
Seek immediate medical attention if a child swallows or inserts a magnet, button battery or water bead into their ears or nose.
If a toy connects to the internet, consider cyber safety.
Balloons
Balloons can be a dangerous choking hazard. When a balloon bursts, the pieces can be inhaled and block a child’s airway.
Water balloons can pose additional safety risks. When thrown at close range, especially at the face, they may cause injury. Broken balloon pieces can also be slipping hazards.
Safety tips:
- Use decorative balloons for decoration, not play.
- Keep uninflated balloons and broken balloon pieces away from young children.
- Pick up and throw away broken balloon pieces right away.
- Teach children not to throw water balloons at faces or at close range.
Reusable water balloons are designed to be used many times. Instead of breaking into small pieces, they open upon impact. However, they can still be unsafe. Some reusable water balloons use small magnets to stay closed. Magnets can be very dangerous if swallowed.
- If you have reusable water balloons, check them before and after each use and throw them away as soon as they start to break down.
- Keep reusable water balloons away from young children and pets that may chew on them.
Battery powered toys
Toys can be powered by different kinds of batteries including replaceable batteries, rechargeable batteries (e.g. NiMH, lithium-ion) and button batteries. If batteries are used or handled incorrectly, they can cause injuries or fires.
Safety tips:
- Do not allow children to install batteries into their toys.
- Choose toys with child resistant battery compartments.
- Do not let children take battery operated toys to bed. Burns and other injuries can happen if the batteries leak or overheat in the night.
- Store all batteries out of children’s reach and sight.
Learn more about battery safety.
Toys with rechargeable batteries
Safety tips:
- Only use the charger that comes with the toy or one recommended by the manufacturer.
- Keep chargers out of reach of young children.
- Do not let children play with toys while they are charging, unless the instructions say it’s safe.
- Stop using the toy if it becomes hot, smells unusual, swells, leaks or stops working properly.
- Do not use damaged chargers or cords.
Learn about lithium-ion battery safety.
Toys with button batteries
Button batteries can cause serious burns and life-threatening injuries if swallowed.
Safety tips:
- Look for toys with secure, child-resistant battery compartments that require a tool or multiple steps to open.
- Keep spare batteries out of reach from children.
- Dispose of used batteries right away. Check with your municipality on how to safely dispose of batteries.
- Get emergency medical help immediately if a child swallows a button battery or if you suspect that they’ve swallowed a button battery. Even dead batteries can contain a charge, causing serious or fatal injuries if swallowed.
Learn more about the risks of button batteries.
Magnetic toys
Swallowing small, powerful magnets can cause severe internal injuries or death to a child. It is especially dangerous if more than one magnet is swallowed. Swallowed magnets can attract internally while moving through the intestines. This can cause the intestines to twist, creating blockages or tearing of the intestinal walls.
Magnets can be found in:
- puzzles
- train sets
- board games
- action figures and dolls
- construction or building sets
- alphabet and number magnets
- toy jewellery and dress-up items
In Canada, the Toys Regulations limit the strength and size of magnets that can be used in toys, but you can still find them for sale, especially when shopping online or buying second hand.
- If you buy toys with magnets, make sure the magnetic pieces are too big to swallow and buy them from a trusted source.
- Don't buy novelty magnet sets that are marketed for adults.
- It is illegal to sell these in Canada if the powerful magnets are small enough to be swallowed by a child.
Safety tips:
- Check children’s toys for magnets. Throw away any toys with small, powerful if the:
- magnets are loose
- small enough to swallow
- Seek immediate medical attention if a child swallows a magnet or if you suspect that they’ve swallowed a magnet. Don’t wait for symptoms.
Learn more about magnet safety.
Play tents and play tunnels
Play tents and play tunnels can enclose a child and may be unsafe if not used properly. There is a risk a child could get trapped, suffocated or strangled.
Safety tips:
- Choose products with good airflow like mesh windows or openings on multiple sides.
- Avoid tents with long cords, loops or ties that could wrap around a child’s neck.
- Check that the frame is stable and not damaged.
- Place tents and tunnels on a flat surface away from stairs, furniture edges and other hazards.
- Keep tents and tunnels away from heat sources.
- Do not use as a sleep space.
Projectile toys
Projectile toys launch objects like darts, balls, arrows and discs, through the air. Some projectile toys, such as water blasters, spray water at high speed. These toys can cause injuries, especially to the eyes and face.
Safety tips:
- Teach children to never shoot at people or animals.
- In particular, never aim projectiles toward the face or eyes.
- Use protective eyewear.
- Play in a clear, open area away from bystanders and breakable objects.
Ride-on toys, tricycles, scooters and wagons
Falls are the most common cause of injuries with these types of toys. Injuries can range in severity from bruises and open wounds to fractures and head injuries.
Safety tips:
- Choose ride-on toys that match a child’s age, size and developmental abilities.
- Use helmets and protective gear when recommended, especially for scooters.
- Make sure children ride on flat, traffic-free surfaces, like paths and sidewalks.
- Don’t let children ride on roads and driveways or near stairs and pools.
- Driveways and roads are not safe places to ride because children may be difficult for drivers to see.
- Children may roll out into the street when riding on a sloped driveway.
- Don’t allow unsafe behaviour like standing or kneeling in wagons.
Ride on lawn mowers are not toys. Never ride and drive with a child on your lap.
“Slip and slide" products and splash pads
Slip and slides allow children to slide over a wet surface, while splash pads spray water for play. Playing on these items can lead to injuries that range from minor scrapes and bruises to more serious injuries, like concussions and broken bones.
Safety tips:
- Choose a flat, level surface that is free of sharp objects or debris that can cause injury.
- Set up on soft ground, such as grass, to reduce the risk of injury.
- Allow only one child at a time on slip and slides.
- Follow the manufacturer’s instructions for safe set-up and use.
Toys with long cords or strings
Long cords, strings or ribbons can wrap around a child’s neck and cause strangulation.
Safety tips:
- Choose toys with short cords or strings, especially for children under 3 years old.
- Never place toys with cords in a child’s sleep space.
- Keep all toys with long cords or strings out of reach of babies and children under 3 years old.
Toys with small parts
Small parts can be a choking hazard, especially for children under 3 years old.
Safety tips:
- Never give young children toys with small parts or accessories. These include:
- building sets for older children
- loose puzzle pieces
- buttons, beads, marbles, pellets, magnets
- decorations like eyes or noses that can be pulled off
- wheels and tires from small toy cars, trucks and other vehicles
- Make sure that small squeakers or reeds inside squeeze toys cannot be removed.
- Make sure that the handles on infant toys, like rattles and teethers, are big enough that they can’t go all the way into a baby’s mouth and get stuck in their throat.
- If a small part can fit inside a toilet paper roll, it is too small for safe play.
Water beads
Water beads are small, colourful beads that grow up to 1,500 times their size when they absorb water. Water beads can be found in a variety of products including sensory kits, art kits, stress balls, foot baths, vase fillers and gardening kits. These beads can easily be mistaken for candy by young children.
If swallowed, they can grow inside the body and cause life-threatening injuries like intestinal or bowel obstruction.
If put inside the ears or nose, they can cause damage to the inner ear or sinuses.
Safety tips:
- Do not allow children under 5 years old to play with water beads.
- Keep water beads out of reach of young children.
- Clean up beads right away if they spill.
- Get immediate medical help if a child has swallowed water beads or if you suspect a child has swallowed water beads. Don’t wait for symptoms.
Learn more about how water beads may pose life-threatening risks to young children.
Water toys
Water toys are items used for play in water, like inflatables and floating devices. They may help someone stay afloat for a short time, but they are not safety equipment and they do not prevent drowning. Children can drown if water toys tip over or leak air.
Some examples of water toys include:
- water wings
- party islands
- pool noodles
- water trampolines
- inflatable floaties like loungers, hammocks, rings and fun shapes
Safety tips:
- Supervise young children and keep them within arm’s reach at all times when they are in and around water.
- Follow the product age and weight restrictions.
- Use water toys in controlled environments like swimming pools.
- Don’t use water toys in open water like lakes, rivers or oceans.
Stay Informed
For further information:
- Visit the resources below.
- Check for product recalls. If you have questions, contact the manufacturer.
- Subscribe to our electronic newsletter to receive the latest news and information about product advisories, warnings, safety tips, notice of webinars or consultations.
- Contact Health Canada’s Consumer Product Safety Program. Please use our General Enquiries Form, or call us at 1-866-662-0666 (toll-free within Canada and the United States).
You can also report an incident involving a toy or other consumer product. Reporting injuries, near misses and safety concerns is easy and could save lives.