ORLANDO, Fla. – ‘Tis the season for all those holiday gifts, but it’s also important for families to keep safety in mind.
A Consumer Product Safety Commission report on toy related injuries from the 2023 holiday season uncovered roughly 10 deaths and nearly 155,000 emergency room injuries linked to toys for kids 12 and younger.
According to the report, one of the top culprits for injuries from toys is non-motorized scooters.
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News 6 Anchor, Lisa Bell, recently spoke with Dr. Amber Teague, a pediatric emergency physician at HCA Florida Osceola Hospital to see what parents should watch out for this year.
Dr. Teague: The most common injury that is actually because of toys is non-motorized scooter injuries. Those toys are really, really fun, but they can result in a lot of hazards and a lot of falls, especially if you’re not thinking of that other step of the appropriate location to play with the toy, as well as all of the safety equipment. The next biggest things are cuts, scrapes, and bruises that occur from the toys, either opening the package or the toy themselves.
Bell: I love how you say opening the package. Some of that packaging itself seems downright deadly, that sharp plastic when you’re trying to rip into it, and I’m surprised to hear you say non-motorized scooters, because as a mom of two boys, I feel like the non-motorized scooters are safer than a motorized scooter.
Dr. Teague: Well, the motorized scooter has some safety devices built in. It also has some speed control and if you’re going by the recommended age for utilization of those toys, older children should be using a motorized scooter. I think that’s an important topic to kind of bring up for this whole conversation. Toys themselves are rated and give guidelines based on age. So motorized scooters are for older children or teens. Non-motorized scooters are for those younger children and they don’t have the same coordination and they don’t have the same safety awareness.
Bell: Tell me about some of the injuries you see with packaging.
Dr. Teague: The packaging itself can be pretty hazardous, especially after you’ve opened the toy. So you have the toy, everything is fantastic, but those pieces of paper and plastic are huge choking hazards, especially for our little ones. So it’s important as parents and guardians that as you’re opening those packages, those pieces are disposed of quickly and appropriately, so that they don’t cause choking hazards, because those can be life-altering.
Bell: Speaking of choking hazards, some of the deaths noted in that CPSC report were linked to choking from small items including crayons and water beads.
Dr. Teague: Yes, water beads are one of those things that I think people don’t realize can be a significant hazard because they’re non-toxic. The bead themselves does not cause any poisoning issues. But what happens is that when you ingest those water beads, they continue to expand, and sometimes they can cause blockages. They can cause choking in younger kids because their airway is smaller, but the ingestion of the bead itself can block other parts of the gastrointestinal system and cause significant issues and even death.
Bell: So if your child ingests one of those. What do you do? Do you immediately rush to the emergency room?
Dr. Teague: So it’s important to remember for any ingestion that we in the state of Florida have an amazing Poison Control Center, and to always have that number on hand. It’s 800-222-1222 so easy to remember, and they have very capable staff that can give the appropriate guidance as to what to do right there, if you should call EMS safety personnel, or if you can drive safely to the hospital, and sometimes not with water beads, but with other ingestions. You may be a worried parent, but it’s actually okay to watch your child at home and these people can give really good clarity on what you need to do and what’s emergent.
Bell: Okay, so sometimes, as long as they’re not choking, it may be okay for them to just let the item pass naturally. Is that what you’re saying?
Dr. Teague: Depends on the item and depends on the child. There are certain items you cannot let pass: magnets, which are also a really fun toy and common to get at Christmas time, not an okay thing. You need to see a medical personnel to be evaluated. Button batteries are also something you can’t wait to let it pass. You have to seek medical personnel, medical attention immediately.
Bell: Okay, let’s talk about some of the safety gear. You know, we mentioned those non-motorized scooters, always popular items to give and receive during the holidays, as well as bicycles, roller skates, roller blades, other things. What do you recommend in terms of giving safety gear?
Dr. Teague: Safety gear is one of those things that is overlooked, but can be a really fun present, because there’s lots and lots of different colors and patterns now to make it individualized for the kid and make it fun for them to wear. Helmet is an absolute must for anything that you are being mobile with and you mentioned several of them: roller skates, roller blades, in-line skates, bicycles, scooters, those cool little wheelie things, any of those things that you’re going to be moving on, you should protect that head. It has something very, very precious inside, and so you need to make sure it’s safe. Hand and wrist guards are also very important and one of the more common locations that I see for fractures. Elbows are the next most common as well so having those elbow pads, and then there are also knee pads and other longer pants, longer gear that you can consider as well, but absolutely a helmet, absolutely would be thinking about elbow and wrist guards.
Bell: You mentioned button batteries. What about other types of batteries? What should parents be keeping in mind when it comes to batteries?
Dr. Teague: Batteries themselves can be something that parents may not think about, but can have their own complex issues, not just button batteries, but there are all of these disc batteries, cell batteries, and a lot of our more compact toys are using them now. A lot of our smart devices, or technological devices, things that are watches or kids can wear, interesting toys that can fly have have these batteries in them, and any of these batteries can come out of their compartment, because of their shape, can be a choking hazard, and because of what they’re made up, can be dangerous for the actual lining and tissue of the body.
Bell: Yeah, and it’s not just ingesting we’ve done several stories here at News 6 about the fire risk associated with some of those lithium ion batteries.
Dr. Teague: Absolutely.
Bell: You know, we get toys. Kids are excited. We tear open this packaging that you’ve talked about, and oftentimes the guidelines and the instructions and the recommendations just get chucked into the trash. How important is it to follow those safety guidelines that the manufacturer sends out?
Dr. Teague: It is very important, not only from what you just mentioned, from fire safety hazard, a lot of them have a set-up mode or a set-up instruction, so make sure that you’re making sure the toy is appropriate and safe, especially if there’s wiring or any other components. A lot of times there will be very clear warnings if something will come apart on a toy or come off, or there’s a compartment that could be a choking hazard and could be another kind of hazard. Would it be a sharp object? Would it be something that you could trip over? Would it be something that can catch on something else and snag. Is it a costume that could perhaps clasp on something else and cause the kids to fall? There are really good guidelines, and in those guidelines that also get sometimes chucked, like you say, there’s storage recommendations. Some things are not safe if they get hot, they might catch fire. They might have a combustible component. Some of them aren’t safe if they get wet, things can change for them. So those guidelines are very important, and if you do chuck them out, most of the time, you can find an online version now. So it’s important to read that information.
Bell: You mentioned earlier about buying age appropriate gifts and making sure that whatever you’re buying matches up to the child. That can be tough for some people, especially if you have siblings, and you want to get all the siblings the same item. How do you navigate that?
Dr. Teague: I hear you as a mother of three, it can be quite challenging, especially for those little ones that want to be included and be a part of the fun. It’s important to give clear guidelines to your your loved ones, what is and isn’t safe, and if that’s a concern, where you feel like one of your children will be left out because of a more advanced toy and the explanation that the older kid is able to to have earned this, then picking a toy or a selection that doesn’t have those risks is the way to go, especially things that can cause falls, trips, hazards, lacerations, those cuts and scrapes and bruises, if you’re worried that you the kid will not understand, or the sibling won’t be a good role model, then foregoing that gift and making a different selection might be the better way to go.
Bell: The last time you and I chatted was around Halloween and talking about some of the things that people needed to keep in mind before they went out trick or treating. How busy are you in the ER, this time of year?
Dr. Teague: So there’s a lull that happens right before Thanksgiving and then it starts to pick up. There are issues as far as tummy aches and tummy troubles after Thanksgiving, family visiting. So you get new illnesses, new viruses that people are concerned about. And then, as things escalate for the holiday season, gifts are given, not necessarily on the day or around Christmas, and some people celebrate other holidays and get gifts at different times, and so those injuries from those pick up, but also, kids are a little more restless. The break is about to come up, so they start being a little more active and being a little more rambunctious, and so we still have to remember those other safety tips that we want to be for good parents about trips and falls and hazards and appropriate safety monitoring. It’s still beautiful outside, so sometimes the water safety is still something to consider, and all of those visits, plus the addition of those toy hazards that you mentioned and talked about, all combined at this time of year.
Bell: And one additional thing, a lot of people are inside the house cooking, a lot of little ones are wanting to help out in the kitchen. Do you see a lot of issues with children getting burned or having injuries related to cooking?
Dr. Teague: Yes. More so hands touching the stove and or hot surfaces, because it’s an expected, common thing, and they want to be a part of the action and excitement. Also, oral injuries, thermal injuries from temperature and this is also a really important time to think about choking hazards with food and exposures with food. There’s a lot of people around, a lot of visitors, and so making sure that you’re making smart choices that going to be a hazard for choking or anything else for those snacks and sweets and tasty treats.
Bell: I know some parents who have kids with allergies, and they are extremely vigilant, especially this time of year, but you know sometimes stuff can get past you, or you might discover an allergy that your child did not even have, that you weren’t aware of, but now you’re discovering it. So what advice do you have for people when it comes to allergies?
Dr. Teague: Food allergens are one of those things that you have to watch very cautiously and very closely from a mild reaction from just a rash to something like anaphylaxis. If at any time your child is exposed and you’re concerned that it might be true, meaning that it’s not just a simple rash, there’s swelling of the hands or face, there’s trouble breathing or a cough, there’s tummy issues, any of those should be seen by a medical personnel. And the fortunate thing is that any any medical personnel, once that safe first evaluation happens, can give you good guidance as to what to do next if we’re exposed a second time.
Bell: And my last question comes down to decorations. You have some beautiful holiday decorations behind you right now. I know that kids are just drawn to Christmas trees and lights and all the things that we see around the holidays. What advice do you have for parents when it comes to that?
Dr. Teague: Always let your kids be a part of the magic. But again, there’s definitely danger there, the hooks, the plug-ins, the wiring, the small bobbles and trinkets, all of those can pose different kinds of choking, cut injuries, electrocution injuries, so let them be a part of the magic. But remember all those little potential dangers that are there.
Bell: Is it okay to let them plug in the lights?
Dr. Teague: There has been a lot of movement as far as making those plugs safer from the companies. I always say, if it’s something that you have a question about, it takes two seconds for you to plug in the light, and they can stand in the wonder and the awe. Now, I do have a question for you, Lisa, are you a multi-colored light girl or a white light?
Bell: Oh, well, see, we have an artificial tree, and it does both. So it just depends on our mood, aren’t we fancy? I know, and they also can flicker, so we just get we’ve got it all with our tree. How about you?
Dr. Teague: We actually also have an artificial tree and so we can change it up based on the mood and who has the best behavior gets to choose the lights.
Bell: That’s a good idea. And do you have an elf on your shelf?
Dr. Teague: We do. Buddy, our elf, is he’s a sneaky little dude. He he likes to be a little mischievous, but he does a good job of making sure to report to Santa if they’re naughty.
Bell: Good advice as always. Dr Amber Teague, thank you. We hope you have a safe and healthy holiday, and thank you for working hard to keep all of our kids safe.