Toy safety checklist

1. The toilet-roll test for small parts

If a toy, or any part that can come off, fits inside a toilet-roll tube, it is a choking risk for a child under 3. This includes marbles, small bricks, play food, coins, beads and caps. Older siblings' toys are the most common source.

2. Coin and button batteries

A swallowed coin battery can burn through the inside of a child's throat or stomach within hours. Check that every battery cover is held by a screw. Keep spare batteries locked away. If you think a child has swallowed one, go to the emergency department at once. Do not wait for symptoms.

3. Strong magnets

If a child swallows two or more strong magnets, or a magnet and a metal object, they can pull together through the walls of the gut. Choose magnetic toys with fully sealed magnets, check them often, and throw away broken pieces. Get medical help at once if magnets may have been swallowed.

4. Water beads: skip them

Water beads look like sweets and can swell after being swallowed. Safety agencies warn against them in homes with young children. We do not recommend them at all.

5. Age labels and safety marks

Under the Consumer Protection (Safety Standards for Toys) Regulations 2009, toys sold in Malaysia must meet a toy safety standard (such as MS EN 71 or ISO 8124) and carry the MC (Malaysian Conformity) mark on the toy or its packaging. KPDN enforces this. When you buy, look in the listing photos for an age warning and the MC mark. If a listing shows neither, ask the seller before you buy.

Plug-in chargers and adaptors for electrical items should carry the ST-SIRIM label from the Energy Commission (Suruhanjaya Tenaga).

6. Cords, strings and ribbons

For babies and toddlers, avoid long cords, ribbons and strings on cot toys, play gyms and costumes. Never tie anything around a child's neck.

7. Chemicals and craft materials

Choose art materials marked non-toxic. Science kits need an adult nearby, goggles on and hands washed after. Slime made with borax can irritate skin.

8. Wheels and ride-ons

A helmet comes with every bike, scooter and pair of skates. Add knee, elbow and wrist pads for skates. Ride on paths and in parks, never on roads.

9. Eyes and the Sun

Never look at the Sun through binoculars, a telescope or a magnifier.

If something goes wrong

In an emergency, call 999. You can report an unsafe product to the Ministry of Domestic Trade and Cost of Living (KPDN). This checklist is general guidance, not medical advice.