In recognition of Safe Toys and Gifts Month, IU Health released safety tips and common dangers that the emergency department experiences, especially during the holiday season.
According to IU Health Arnett Emergency Medicine Physician Mike Siap, the danger of different toys may surprise parents as situations never anticipated may arise.
“My middle son was three years old at the time,” Siap said. “And my wife wakes me up … she says, ‘Mike, Mike, I think Jonathan stuck a googly eye up his nose.’ Sure enough, I look in and there is a googly eye in his left nostril.”
According to Siap, the googly eye was derived from an arts and crafts set that his older son had, and the older son had not properly cleaned up and put the set away. His son found the set and began playing with it when the googly eye became lodged in his nostril.
“He ended up having to go to the emergency department,” Siap said. “They went to Riley Hospital for Children at IU Health, and they were able to take it out.”
Siap’s story was highlighted for Safe Toys and Gifts Month this December, which aims to raise awareness about the potential hazards associated with toys, especially for young children, who are at risk of injury from unsafe products. IU Health stated that every year, thousands of children are treated for toy-related injuries, and parents and caregivers have been encouraged to inspect toys for sharp edges, small parts that could post as choking hazards and toxic materials.
“Most of what we see in the emergency department has to do with some sort of foreign body, like a toy part, that is ingested or has been stuck in an ear or a nose,” Siap said. “Another thing we see quite frequently is falls, (which have resulted in) extremity injuries or head injuries. These are going to be from things like scooters, bikes, motorized scooters or hoverboards.”
Siap continued to state that the likelihood of seeing an influx of children patients in the emergency department tends to increase during the holiday season.
“They’re trying out that hoverboard for the first time,” Siap said. “It goes too quickly or moves in an unexpected way, they fall and try to catch themselves, and then they end up usually breaking their wrist or something like that.”
IU Health further warned of button batteries that can pose a severe danger to small children due to their size and potential for series harm if ingested. When a button battery becomes lodged in a child’s throat or stomach, it can cause severe burns and tissue damage due to a chemical reaction with saliva.
Siap offered continued advice and safety tips for parents to consider, especially during the holiday season, related to toy safety.
“The easiest thing is just to follow the age requirements that are on the product packaging labels,” Siap said. “The majority of injuries are going to be on children under the age of four. One thing that parents also have to keep in mind is other children in the house … (and) making sure that toys are put away … If the toy can fit through a toilet paper roll, it’s probably too small … There are warnings for a reason. They are to help prevent parents from having to bring their kid to come and visit me.”