Use common sense at the stores to buy Christmas toys

With the Christmas shopping season in full swing, some parents may be more worried than normal about buying toys for their children. After all, many stories about toys recalled because of various hazards have been in the news during recent months.


Here’s our suggestion: Use your common sense about whether specific toys are safe for your children.


Don’t take our word for it. The Consumer Product Safety Commission this week released a list of the most serious hazards found in toys. The list includes riding toys and skates that could cause falls, toys with small parts that could choke children, projectiles such as toy rockets, and devices that could cause burns and/or shocks.


Nothing really new there, is there?


Clearly, the most critical hazards involving toys are ones that can be spotted by parents, in advance of purchases. Our advice, again: Check the recall lists — then use your common sense in deciding what toys to place under the Christmas tree.