Fidget spinners are all the craze. These are stress-relieving toys that are marketed as being an excellent tool to help people concentrate, maintain focus, and relieve stress and anxiety.
The public should be aware, however, that the Consumer Product Safety Commission (CPSC) is warning about swallowing risks involving fidget spinners. The agency says that it has received at least two reports of incidents involving children who swallowed parts of the popular gadget.
In one case that was reported to the CPSC, a 10-year-old girl swallowed a small piece of the toy and required surgery to have it removed from her intestine. In another case, a five-year-old boy swallowed a piece of the toy, began choking on it, and had to be rushed to the emergency department.
Many of these toys are available online, and are marketed by different manufacturers. Some manufacturers have clearly recommended that these toys only be purchased for children above the age of 12. Many retailers have also warned that the toy poses a choking hazard containing small parts
More parents need to know that these toys definitely pose a choking hazard and are not age-appropriate for children below the age of 12.
The toys are manufactured by different companies, and as such, it has become difficult to monitor the quality standards of the toys that are being sold. For instance, some of the toys seem to come apart in children’s hands, making them a very real choking and suffocation hazard to children. The toys should be very sturdy and stable, and no part should come off unless an adult uses a tool to remove it. Unfortunately, that is not happening in many cases. Parts are coming loose, and children who place the toy in their mouths are at serious risk of choking. These toys have not been designed with all necessary safety features in mind, and some of these toys are small enough to be swallowed whole. A consumer watchdog group has rightly called figdet spinners one of the 10 most dangerous toys to have in your home.
This risk is so high that many schools have now banned children from bringing the fidget spinners to school. Not only is there a risk of choking, but teachers say that these toys are becoming a major distraction to children and classrooms.
Fidget spinners are not a recommended toy for anyone with young children at home. Also, keep in mind that children tend to share toys. It may be an age-appropriate toy for your teen, but avoid buying this toy if you have another younger child at home.