Purchase toys that complement the child's age, interest, and abilities. Avoid complex toys for young children. Be aware that toys have suggested age ranges to aid you in choosing toys that are appealing as well as safe.Learn to read Labels. Look for safety information such as "Not recommended for children under 3 years of age," or "non-toxic" on toys likely to end up in baby's mouth, or "washable/hygienic materials" on stuffed toys and dolls.Always check with parents before acquiring toy's needing supervision – electronic toys, shooting toys and games, chemistry sets, etc.. Remember that younger children may have access to toys intended for older children once the toy has been brought into the home.And lastly you can look for the UL (Underwriters Laboratories) seal on electrical toys. It indicates the electrical parts have been tested for safety.We all want our children to have safe rewarding experiences playing with toys. As parents and relatives taking a few extra steps to ensure proper toy purchases may actually save your child from being one of the 150,000 hospitalized children this year, or any other and I'm certain that your child would be thankful for not having to be one!

Fisher-PriceOk, so by now everyone must have heard of Elmo Live, right? Well, the animated toy trend seems to be very prevalent this year with Elmo Live, Hasbro's Biscuit, Playskool's Kota the Triceratops, Tomy's ISobot and more. While I'm on the topic, let me mention that I just previewed an adorable duckling from Hasbro's Furreal Friends line - it's too cute for words. Just like me, it seems like everyone enjoys seeing animated animals nowadays!HasbroHasbro has a fantastic line of action figures based on the Iron Man. This is another movie franchise for this year which is going to be popular with Marvel fans.It's no wonder that everyone is focusing on healthy and safe play this year. The "green" theme is predominant with many toy firms promoting their eco-friendly products. One toy manufacturer which I really liked was Plan toys from Indonesia which had a wonderful lineup of natural wooden toys.