Interactive dolls or wooden bricks? Which will be better for my children? Everybody asks themselves the same question. Independently on their function, the toys have to be safe. Just before the Children’s Day, we give you a hint on how to choose them

Toys available on our market are subject to continuous control by the Trade Inspection Authority at the request of UOKiK. Since the beginning of 2013 until the end of the first quarter 2014, the controllers examined a total of 4,124 toys, verifying, among others, if every toy had a CE marking, if it was accompanied by relevant warnings and obligatory instructions of use. The specialist UOKiK’s laboratories tested also the production method,the noise emission and whether the materials used by the manufacturers do not contain prohibited substances.

Reservations were mostly related to irregularities in the marking and in the attached documentation – over 40 percent (1725 products). The entrepreneurs are often afraid that their toys might not fulfil the binding requirements, therefore they take somewhat exaggerated steps in order to secure themselves against the control.In almost 10 percent of cases, as toys inappropriate for children below 3 years of age were marked toys destined for toddlers in this age group (e.g. teddy bears). Warnings against the non-existent risk caused, for example, by small parts which the toy did not have appeared with the same frequency.

742 toys were analysed in terms of design faults and prohibited substances, and 218 of them were challenged (29.3 percent). Among examples of confirmed irregularities are: excessive noise, too small elements – danger of swallowing – in toys for babies, too long cords posing an entanglement threat and too easy access to batteries.

The admissible level of harmful phtalates was exceeded in 71 out of 287 analysed toys (24.7 percent) – e.g. in dolls and figurines. These substances, used to soften plastic parts, are admissible in a concentration no higher than 0.1 percent of the material mass. Their higher level may have negative impact on the child’s hormone system.

In the majority of cases, the activities of the Trade Inspection Authority after inspections consisted in demanding voluntary elimination of irregularities by the entrepreneur (1123 cases). It was the case of formal discrepancies or faults that were easy to eliminate. The Trade Inspection Authority also issued 52 bans on further offering of the toy to consumers. UOKiK received inspection documents for 156 toys with a motion to instigate administrative proceedings and 110 notifications of a suspected criminal offence were addressed to the enforcement agencies.

The summary of the inspection results may be found at the UOKiK’s website via this link.

The Office reminds how to choose toys:
 

Step 1. Always choose a toy adapted to the age of your child. You will find helpful information on the packaging, indicating the age group to which the toy is addressed, e.g. for children below 3 years of age. For example, toys destined for the youngest, such as mascots, teethers, bricks, dolls, may not contain glass or porcelain elements. The CE marking that should be found on each toy is a manufacturer’s declaration that the products fulfils the basic safety requirements.

Step 2. Inspect the toy, in particular in terms of it being used by the youngest ones. You can verify some important features yourself. You should examine the toy for sharp edges, rigid or protruding elements. They can be found, for example, on a bike’s handlebar or on a doll pram frame. Toys that can be folded (e.g. chairs, ironing boards for children) must be equipped with a safety lock. Check if the small elements does not fall off after you press them lightly, as your child could swallow or choke on them.

Step 3. Verify if an instruction of assembly or use in Polish is attached to the toy. Some toys, e.g. bikes, scooters, swings, functional toys, should have instructions of use and – in the event of toys sold in disassembled state - also assembly instructions.

Step 4. If one of the toy’s elements are cords or strings ending with a ringlet or another element that may constitute a self-tightening loop, verify whether they are not too long (below 220 mm for a toy destined to a child below 3 years of age). In case of swings, the cords should not be too thin.

Step 5. Taking back a missed gift that does not have any faults but which the child simply did not like depends solely on the good will of the trader, whereas a declaration on accepting the return made at the moment of sale is binding for them. Of course, complaints for any toy may be lodged within two years as from the purchase date; however, no longer than within two months as from the discovery of the fault or non-compliance with the agreement.

Step 6. If you think that a toy your child is playing with is not safe, check if it is listed in the non-compliant products register on the UOKiK’s website or in the European Rapid Alert System for Non-food Dangerous Products (RAPEX – in English). You can also address the Trade Inspection Authority, the contact data of which can be found on the UOKiK’s website, as well as notify UOKiK using a special form.

Additional information for the media:

Małgorzata Cieloch, Spokesperson for UOKiK
Department of International Relations and Communication
Pl. Powstańców Warszawy 1, 00-950 Warszawa
Tel. 22 827 28 92, 55 60 314, 55 60 430
Fax 22 826 11 86
E-mail: [SCODE]bWFsZ29yemF0YS5jaWVsb2NoQHVva2lrLmdvdi5wbA==[ECODE]