For most parents, a ride-on-toy would be the best gift for a toddler who’s turning a year older or a fun holiday gift. The truth is, your little one loves zooming around that battery-operated car or operating that battery-powered bike. It’s fun and you too, enjoy their pretend-play. So, why not spoil them with that battery-operated Jeep or the latest Mercedes-Benz.
However, these ride-on-toys that we so cherish aren’t that safe for the toddlers. Children have suffered serious injuries and even deaths resulting from ride-on toys. So, don’t be clouded by the cuteness. Know the dangers too.
Dangers Of Motored Ride-On-Toys
Adult-sized ride-on-toys like battery-operated motorbikes can hit children leading to serious injuries. They’re especially dangerous for young children who can easily be overwhelmed by the heavyweight of motored toys.
Ride-on-toys can also overheat, leading to serious burns or even death if the kids aren’t saved on time. Recently, a child got trapped in a ride-on car that was billowing smoke as a result of overheating. Had the mother not responded on time, the child would have been injured.
Other dangers include children falling from the ride-on cars while trying to stand in the speeding toy car. While it’s possible to control motored toys using a remote, they still aren’t safe. It’s much better to get them a non-motorized toy.
Here are some safety tips for buying ride-on toys.
- Avoid motored toys as much as you can. It’s much safer to get a simple non-motorized ride-on car for your toddler.
- When buying a battery-operated car, check out for the age recommendation. Usually, motorized toys are recommended for toddlers who are 2 years old and above. However, if you feel your child is still too young to use the toy, you can wait until they’re 3 years.
- Make sure the ride-on car meets the safety requirements. You can check this on the label before buying the toy.
- Go through the instruction manual before buying the car. Find out whether it’s the perfect toy for your young ones. If you feel it’s a bit complicated, get something that’s much simpler to operate.
- Don’t let the child ride the motorized toy car before you test it. You need to make sure it’s flawless to avoid accidents.
- Always keep an eye on your child while they’re using the battery-operated toy. As much as they’re enjoying the ride, they could just hit a barrier, and they’ll need you to help them out.
- Cover the little head with a helmet to prevent severe head injuries in case the child falls off the ride-on car.
- If you have many children sharing the ride-on car, let them use it one at a time. Having more than one child in the toy car can cause it to malfunction.
- Stick to the instructions given in the manual.
- Keep the ride-on toy car away from the children and let them use it only in your presence.
With these safety tips, you can get your toddler their favourite ride-on toy.
