Selecting toys for young children
Author: American Family Physician

Play is essential for learning in children, and toys are the tools of play. Which play materials are provided and how they are used are equally important, according to a clinical report published by the American Academy of Pediatrics. "Selecting Appropriate Toys for Young Children" appears in the April 2003 issue of Pediatrics and is available online at www.aap.org/policy.

Adults caring for children should be reminded that toys facilitate but do not substitute for the most important aspect of nurture--warm, loving, dependable relationships. Toys should be safe, affordable, and developmentally appropriate. Children do not need expensive toys. Toys should be appealing enough to engage the child over a period of time.

The clinical report includes advice for selecting and maintaining toys used in physicians' office waiting rooms, and a resource list for parents. Although there appears to be no increased rate of acute illness for children who have just visited a physician's office, toys in the office should be routinely cleaned. Among the recommendations are the following:

* Office toys should be safe for children of all ages.