For many years, NSW Fair Trading has targeted dangerous toys. While toys available in the marketplace today are generally much safer than they were ten or even five years ago, each year Fair Trading detects new products which have the potential to cause injury or even death to young children. Toys with small parts are a particular worry. Anything that can fit into a container for camera film has the potential to choke a child under 3 years.

View the list of banned children's products.

Common sense rules when buying toys

Here are some common sense rules to follow when buying toys:

• Check for sharp edges or rough surfaces as they can cause cuts and splinters.
• Buy washable, non-breakable toys for babies. Anything small enough to fit into a 35mm film canister can choke a child under three years old.
• Toy chests and boxes should be designed not to close on top of children, or better still with a removable lid. Anything big enough to crawl inside must have ventilation holes.
• Read the age labelling on new toys. 'Not suitable for children under three' means that there are small parts which could be swallowed; it is not an indication of skill level or intelligence.
• Check toys regularly for loose parts which may be choking dangers.
• Check that there are no gaps or holes which could entrap a child's fingers.
• If buying a projectile toy, only choose ones that have soft, one-piece darts or non-removable suction caps.
• Be wary of toys that make loud noises as they can be harmful to hearing. Particularly toys which are held against the ear, such as walkie talkies and toy mobile phones.
• Check for ventilation before buying tents, masks, helmets etc.
• Ensure that ride-on toys are appropriate to the age of the child and are stable. Toy bikes should have effective brakes which can be applied by the rider.
• Check toys that contain magnets to ensure that they have not come loose. Remove loose magnets from the toy box.