Politics
Safety experts reveal the 11 household items you should NEVER have if you have kids – including bean bags and toy boxes
SEEMINGLY harmless household items that can pose a fatal risk to children have been revealed – including bean bags and toy boxes.
Experts from Australian consumer advocacy group CHOICE revealed the 11 products that could put your youngster in danger.
Safety experts from CHOICE have revealed 11 household items that can be harmful for kids, including bunkbeds[/caption]
The list included quilts, pillows, baby walkers, toy boxes and cot frills.
The study found bunk beds, which are popular in kids’ bedrooms around the world, also pose a major risk from children falling out of them.
Trampolines also were deemed too risky to recommend due to the injuries kids can get while playing on them.
In a recent CHOICE review of 10 popular trampolines, just one was found to be up to their safety standards.
The tiny polystyrene beads inside bean bags can block the airways of youngsters if consumed[/caption]
The approved model was the Springfree R79, which got a 90 per cent rating for reliability, ease of use and performance.
Other toys that have been warned against are projectile toys like pellet guns or rocket launchers, as these can cause choking in youngsters.
Some of the items on the CHOICE warning list may seem unlikely, like pillows and quilts, but experts warn these can all put newborns at risk of suffocation.
Household items that can be dangerous for children
1. Baby walkers
2. Baby bath aids
3. Bean bags
4. Toy boxes
5. Cot frills, bumpers, pillows or quilts
6. Projectile toys
7. Jolly jumpers
8. Any toy, part of a toy or object small enough to fit into a film canister
9. Most trampolines
10. Bunk beds
11. Child-specific products
Source: CHOICE Australia
The safest cot set-up for a baby has been found to be a blanket, securely fitted sheet and firm mattress – and nothing else.
Any extras, such as pillows and quilts, can put infants at risk of Sudden Infant Death Syndrome (SIDS).
Bean bags may be popular in many family homes, but the tiny polystyrene beads inside can block the airways of babies if consumed.
The list included quilts, pillows, baby walkers, toy boxes and cot frills[/caption]
Other items that contain similar beads, like pet beds or soft toys should also be stored away from children.
Baby walkers were also deemed a risk, as a number of studies in the 1980s and 1990s found they can be dangerous for children.
CHOICE also told parents to be aware that “child-specific” products, like body wash, sunscreen and shampoo are also “simply unnecessary” as often they are the same as the adult versions but with a higher price tag.
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