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Every parent wants to create an environment that is safe for their child to play in - but there is so much jargon about that it can be difficult to know what to look for.

What does a CE mark

actually mean?

Toys aren’t the only goods to have a CE mark; take a look under your mobile and you will see CE marks just the same.

All the CE mark means is that the person marketing the item has made sure that it meets the EU rules for it. So, toys with the CE mark are safe to be used as toys.

Of course, the actual rules themselves can get complicated, and what you need for a picnic set will be different to a dress-up costume or a chemical set. Each is tailored to its likely use

and the risks of something going wrong with it. In our business, we have to be careful to make sure that the fabrics we use are safe near fire, and that, if the worst does come to the worst, that any injury will be modest.

If you think we’re out of line here, consider how many homes you have been in to where children are at play but the mum and dad have candles alight.

To us, candles equal flames and flames equal fire, so it’s best to take out the risk and not burn candles at all when children are about. But if you insist, let’s be sure that the risk of burns is taken down to the level where EU guidelines say

that there should be no real long-lasting harm.

For us, we still say no candles, but others may

see it another way.

What does all this mean for babies and toddlers?

Moving on, what is the “not suitable for under 36 months” all about? You have to be told why this warning

is needed, and often it will say “due to small parts”.

We all know that babies and toddlers put just about everything in their mouths, so we have to be careful. The big risk is that a small item is swallowed,

gets stuck in the throat and blocks the windpipe.

If you think about it, anything, whether it is a toy or not, that is narrower than a windpipe could be dangerous. Try a 20p coin, for instance, often left laying around but could prove fatal if it was swallowed and got stuck.

Of course, toys are meant for children so the rules are designed to protect them as they play. Other items which are not toys, are for your parental discretion.

When you go shopping for toys, you probably

take a good look at the safety information – but do you really know what it all means?

Have you ever noticed the CE mark? It often appears and is written in rather an odd way – but what does it mean?

And then some items say

they are okay for all ages, where as others say they are only for children more than 36 months of age – but what’s the difference?

We’ll look at some of these issues in a moment, but first let’s think about the internet. There are no CE marks on the web, or other warnings. Yes, some sites show information about their suitability for

different ages, but there is no legislation to make sure that all sites conform to the same standard.

Toys are different – they’re tangible, you can touch them, feel them – and manufacturers have had many years to work out the risks and take action to make toys safe.

Creating a safe playenvironment for your child

DisclaimerThe opinions given in this article are given in good faith, based on Fairy Glam Ltd’s understanding of the law. However, please do not place any reliance on our toy safety briefing.

If in any doubt, please contact your local authority.

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To give you an idea of the type of thought process that goes into designing a toy that will meet the requirements of a CE mark, we

will look at our Ballet Mouse and Rosie Rabbit, plush cuddly toys

This article comes from a series of articles about toy safety. We share

these with our followers on Facebook. If you are interested in joining in and airing your views on toy safety, go to

www.facebookcom/lucylockethq and have your say.

There are regular prizes worth up to £50 for the best suggestion we

receive or point made.

Always a difficult one to see from the outside but a soft toy’s eyes must be sewn in firmly. If they do come out, it is important that there are no sharp ends – a favourite with the TV documentaries.

Actually, it is rare to have a problem with the eyes as long as you buy your toy from a reputable retailer, that you can trust.

Eyes

Laces and ribbons

These pretty laces have to be sewn down in several places to make it difficult for little fingers to be inserted.

Otherwise, a touniquet could form and restrict the flow of blood to the fingertips.

These are nasty chemicals including lead, arsenic and cadmium. There are eight heavy

metals in total, each that could harm your child.

EU rules say that only very small amounts of these chemicals can be present and that responsible toy

companies do check for these.

Heavy metals

Fabrics have to be dyed to specific colours and shades. There are

more than 3,000 AZ0 dye colourants and 23 of those

might cause cancer.

We ask our labs to check all of our materials and make

sure there are none of these dangerous dyes present.

Dyes and colours

Sew-in labelsAlways look for this label as it has important safety

information. The one you will often see is “Warning! Keep away from fire”, but

there are others, too.

Soft toys are usually designed for all ages from birth upwards. However, some like ours are for

those aged 9 months plus because of the material used for the whiskers!