The holiday shopping rush is in full swing and families across the country are buying gifts for their loved ones – including kids.
With new toys, comes new concerns about safety. The Consumer Product Safety Commission (CPSC) wants consumers to keep safety top of mind this holiday season.
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The CPSC’S Toy-Related Deaths and Injuries Report found there were 11 deaths in 2022 associated with toys for children 12 years and younger. A majority of those deaths involved choking on small parts or balls. Most of the toy-related injuries were caused by non-motorized scooters.
The CPSC is also asking consumers to be vigilant while shopping for gifts online – including online marketplaces and retail outlets that sell third-party items.
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Alex Hoehn-Saric, chair of the CPSC, spoke about some of concerns during a press conference on Tuesday.
“While some of those [third-party sellers] are very reputable others we found, when we identify a defect or want to reach out about a recall, simply disappear,” Hoehn-Saric said. “So it's important for consumers when they're looking to shop online, to take a look, to see, you know, information about the sold by specifically and to be able to figure out who you're buying from and where you're buying from, because you could be left with a product that either you want to return and you can't, or worse, that's defective and you have no recourse and you're left holding a hazardous product.”
The CPSC also provided other holiday tips.
- When buying a real Christmas tree, make sure the tree has plenty of water. If it dries out, the pines can act as kindling for flames to spark.
- When buying an artificial tree, look for one that is fire-resistant.
- Never string together more than three sets of incandescent lights.
- And never overload electrical outlets.
According to the CPSC’s report on Residential Fire and Loss Estimates, Thanksgiving Day is the peak day for cooking fires -- an average of 1,600 cooking fires occurring on this day. That’s more than three times the daily average of cooking fires.
Families looking to deep fry a turkey this holiday season should only do so outside and away from the home. Never use turkey fryers in an enclosed space like the garage or on the porch.
For the full list of the CPSC’S holiday safety tips, visit their website.
