ONE of the most enjoyable aspects of Christmas is seeing a child's delight when they receive a special gift. Yet tens of thousands of accidents per year directly involving toys result in either life changing injuries, or even death.

While many of these will be related to the inappropriate use of a perfectly safe item, a recent survey by the British Toy and Hobby Association (BTHA) showed that a staggering percentage of toys purchased over the internet did not meet their basic safety requirements. Online sellers are not responsible for the products of third parties whose companies are often based outside the EU, making it very difficult to police.

By following a few simple tips, you can ensure that the toys you buy are safe, and play time is a happy and fun filled occasion, memorable for all the right reasons.

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Toys sold in the UK and Northern Ireland must comply with a set of agreed standards. If so, the packaging will display a CE symbol or the UKCA mark. Toy makers may also be a member of the BTHA and their product will display the “Lion Mark”, demonstrating it has met the high safety requirements of this trade body.

Always buy age-appropriate toys. If a product states “unsuitable for children below the age of”, it is likely that there are small items that may be a choking hazard.

Many toys require batteries for some of their features. Small coin batteries can easily become stuck in ears and nostrils, or worse ingested where they may either burn through the lining of the gullet or get stuck in the intestines. As a supervising parent or adult, always change the batteryies yourself.

Children should always be supervised on moving items and for bikes and skateboards, a helmet and knee/elbow pads should be purchased as part of the package.

Several thousand eye injuries every year result from toys that fire projectiles.

Even educational items such as chemistry sets are not without risk. Always wear appropriate eye and skin protection.

Obviously, toys often undergo hard use, so regularly check that they are still fully operational and that there are no broken parts or sharp edges. Though it may be nostalgic to hand down your own toys to your children, think whether a product which is several years or even decades old is still safe.

Try to purchase toys directly from the manufacturer, or a reputable distributor.

Recalled toys can be found at productrecallcampagin.gov.org