Toy Safety Tips

Santa has come and gone now, meaning kids received new toys to play with. However, parents should keep a close eye on children with certain gifts.

There’s nothing like waking up on Christmas morning to new toys and gifts. However, Santa’s little helpers should be aware of what’s under the tree. Adults should be on the lookout for age restrictions on toys to prevent things like choking hazards. Neolife Physical Therapy and Wellness Founder Dr. Robby Ellis said, “Kids and toddlers, they love to spin around and get things wrapped around their neck and their airwaves. It doesn’t take but a couple minutes of oxygen deprivation before serious damage can be done.”

As kids, playing the game cops and robbers was fun, but it wouldn’t hurt for parents to keep an eye out if they may have a real gun in the area, especially with manufacturers making toy guns look similar to real ones in today’s society. Harrison County Sheriff Troy Peterson said, “The only difference with them is some of them have an orange cap on the front of them or a little something very small to distinguish that they are toys.”

Harrison County Sheriff Troy Peterson tells News 25 kids are going to be kids when it comes to playing with toy guns. However, parents are responsible to teach their children rules about real firearms. Sheriff Peterson said, “Even though they are toy guns, respect them and not point them at anybody else and that will teach them the fundamentals of guns as they grow up.”

For adults who may have received pocket knives and things for Christmas, its best to keep them away from the little ones at all times. “A knife can hurt you. A knife can kill you, just like a gun can. Like I said before, it’s up to us as parents to protect our kids,” said Sheriff Peterson.