Top 10+ Toys You Should Never Leave With Your Toddler Unsupervised (Yet Most Caregivers Still Do)

Small Toys and Building Blocks with Removable Parts

That colorful building set you bought might seem harmless, but CPSC receives about 15 reports of choking deaths to children under age 3 each year, with some involving small toys and toy parts. These seemingly innocent toys become deadly when pieces break off or separate.

Toys should be large enough — at least 1¼ inches in diameter and 2¼ inches in length — so that they can't be swallowed or lodged in the windpipe. Think of your toilet paper roll as a safety gauge – if a piece fits through it, it's too small for your toddler.

Magnetic Building Toys and Desk Gadgets

When high-powered magnets returned to the market in 2017, Nationwide Children's Hospital reported a 400% increase in the number of kids hospitalized for magnet ingestion. These aren't your grandma's refrigerator magnets – they're incredibly powerful and dangerous.

The magnets can stick to each other even through folds of gastrointestinal tissue, pinching off blood supply and causing tissue death, bleeding, and infection. One 3-year-old girl swallowed 23 round magnets that stuck together in her abdomen, requiring surgery to remove them and repair intestinal damage.

Electronic Toys with Accessible Button Batteries

Those blinking, beeping toys your toddler loves could be hiding a deadly secret. The CPSC published new proposed rules in August 2024 to address the risks of death and injury from children ingesting button cell batteries from toys.

Button batteries are extremely dangerous if swallowed because their electrical currents can eat through the esophagus, vocal cords or airways. Battery-operated toys should have battery cases that secure with screws, as batteries pose serious risks including choking, internal bleeding, and chemical burns.

Water Beads and Expanding Sensory Toys

These colorful, squishy toys might look like harmless fun, but they're anything but. About 6,000 people were treated in emergency rooms in 2023 for injuries or illnesses caused by water beads.

At least one death is blamed on water beads: a 10-month-old in Wisconsin died in July 2023. Water beads expand when exposed to water, from the size of a pea to two inches in diameter, and if a child swallows one, it can expand inside their body.

When swallowed or inserted into an ear canal, water beads absorb bodily fluids and can lead to blocked airways, intestinal blockage, lung or ear damage.

Balloons and Latex Party Decorations

That innocent birthday balloon becomes a silent killer when it deflates or pops. Four of the 11 toy deaths in 2022 were due to choking on small balls, and one was due to choking on a balloon.

Never give balloons to kids younger than 8 years old, as a child blowing up or chewing on a balloon can choke by inhaling it, and inflated balloons pose a risk because they can pop without warning. Balloons, either deflated or broken, should be kept away from children under age 8.

Toy Guns Without Orange Safety Tips

The danger here isn't what you might expect – it's about mistaken identity. Some toy guns lack the required blaze orange tip, making them indistinguishable from real guns.

When mistaken for real weapons, toy guns can escalate dangerous situations and have, in some cases, led to tragic outcomes. Even water guns and foam dart blasters can pose risks if they don't meet safety standards or if projectiles become choking hazards.

Toys with Long Cords, Strings, or Ribbons

That pull-along toy with the cute string might seem perfect for your toddler, but it's a strangulation risk waiting to happen. Infants should not be able to reach strings longer than 7 inches, especially from hanging objects in cribs and playpens, as they can strangle an infant.

Strangling can happen if a string, rope, or cord from a toy gets tangled around a child's neck, and long objects can be deadly if a child falls or gets tangled in them while in a crib. Even seemingly innocent jump ropes or yo-yo strings pose serious risks.

Small Balls and Marbles

Those colorful bouncing balls might look too big to be dangerous, but size matters more than you think. Avoid marbles, coins, balls, and games with balls that are 1.75 inches in diameter or less because they can get stuck in the throat above the windpipe and make breathing difficult.

Marbles and balls are among the most recognizable choking hazards. A good rule of thumb is that if the toy or toy part can fit into a toilet paper roll, it can choke a child under age 3.

Older Siblings' Toys and Hand-Me-Downs

That generous gift from your neighbor might come with hidden dangers. Steer clear of older toys, even hand-me-downs from friends and family, as they might not meet current safety standards and may be worn from play, making them prone to breaking and becoming hazardous.

Families with children of various ages should remember that toys for older children could be dangerous to younger children. In families with multiple children, choking hazards can get in the hands and mouths of young ones from a toy meant for an older sibling.

Online Marketplace Toys from Questionable Sources

That amazing deal you found online might be too good to be true – and too dangerous to ignore. The CPSC, in collaboration with Customs, confiscated nearly 1.6 million dangerous or illegal toys in fiscal year 2024, up from 1.1 million in 2023.

Nearly 102,000 of the toys seized this year contained unsafe levels of lead, which can cause brain damage and nervous system problems. The U.S.

CPSC and Customs confiscated more than 1.1 million illegal or dangerous toys in 2023, with over 100,000 containing lead, so buying from reputable retailers helps ensure toys meet safety standards.

Conclusion

The statistics paint a sobering picture: every year, 150,000 or more toy-related deaths and injuries are treated in emergency rooms among children 14 and younger. These numbers represent real families whose lives changed in an instant because of a seemingly innocent toy.

While we can't bubble-wrap our children, we can make smarter choices about the toys we bring into our homes and how we supervise playtime. Remember, choking has long been the leading cause of toy-related deaths to young children, but many of these tragedies are preventable with proper awareness and supervision.

The key isn't to eliminate all toys – it's to understand the risks and take appropriate precautions. What's the most surprising toy danger you learned about today?