The New Year is on the verge and you probably already bought New Year's gifts for yourself and loved ones (and if not, you still have time before the chimes!). But in the world there are also such gifts that you should stay away from if you value life. And what is most sad, many dangerous New Year's gifts are intended for the most vulnerable, fragile and defenseless creatures - children.
Here are the top 10 most dangerous children's Christmas gifts of all time.
10. Orbeez Balls
These hydrogel balls are very popular among Russian children, due to their beautiful translucent appearance and ability to increase in size. In order for the orbits to "grow" they need to be placed in water and wait a while.
For adolescents, these balls are ordinary entertainment, but for young children, they can be deadly. In the swollen state, the orbits are easily taken externally for candy, and since the balls are very slippery, swallowing them is not difficult.
Here is a photo of a hydrogel ball extracted by surgeons of the children's Filatov hospital from the stomach of a one-year-old girl. Who wants a toy like this to be inside their child?
9. Gilbert U238 Lab Game Set
A toy that develops children's cognitive abilities is a wonderful New Year's gift. But giving your child the Gilbert U-238 Atomic Energy Lab gaming lab was not a good idea from American parents. After all, it contained four samples of uranium ore, which are sources of weak radiation.
As conceived by the creator of the kit, the inventor Alfred Gilbert, with the help of this toy, children had to conduct and observe chemical reactions.
8. Children's toy plate Easy-Bake Oven
This miniature cooker with an oven from Hasbro was supposed to help small cooks realize their abilities. Instead, in 2007, several children burned their fingers after placing them inside a toy. And no wonder, because inside the oven there was a heating element that could warm up to a temperature of 350 degrees.
One girl even had to amputate part of her finger. Since then, the company has released a new version with an electric heating element instead of a light bulb.
7. Hoverboard
One of the most desired Christmas gifts for children helps to develop coordination and is a subject of admiration from peers. How can he be dangerous?
The fact is that before these devices often ignited due to poor-quality batteries. One 3-year-old child even died after a malfunctioning hoverboard caused a house fire in Pennsylvania. In 2015, U.S. airlines and the postal service even banned the transportation of scooters due to fear that they might explode during transportation.
Modern models are much safer, however, do not try to save money and buy a cheap Chinese noun if you cherish the safety of your child.
6. Magnetix Game Set
A popular game set released in the mid-2000s became a parent's nightmare in 2007 when one child died and 28 others were seriously injured after swallowing magnets dropped out of plastic parts.
The manufacturer eventually recalled most of the 4,000,000 Magnetix kits, but still sells a redesigned and safe version.
5. Polly Pocket Doll with Quik Clik
The heyday of the popularity of this doll came in the nineties, but the kits released later will be remembered for a long time not so much by the children as by the manufacturer.
A few years after the launch of the Quik Clik line in 2004, Mattel recalled 7.3 million play sets due to the fact that the small parts that clicked on the doll often dropped out. And because of their small size, they could easily be swallowed by a child.
4. Flying Fairy Doll
These flying fairies are more menacing than they look. Just pull the start lever and the doll will begin to unwind its skirt-blades and soar into the air. And maybe right in your face.
After numerous reports of eye injuries, broken teeth, lacerations, and even a mild concussion, one of the largest manufacturers of flying fairies - the company Galoob Toys Inc - permanently landed its toys, recalling about 8.9 million copies in 2000.
3. Toy weapons
Many boys (and some girls too) will be happy to receive a toy gun or other weapon for the New Year. But some pistols for children could cause real harm to health. Sad examples are the Austin Magic Pistol and Mattel’s Belt Buckle Derringer, popular in the USA in the 50s of the last century.
The first shooting toy used "magic crystals" consisting of calcium carbide. If water fell on such bullets, they exploded.
The second toy also shot with calcium carbide bullets and was a buckle with a gun, which was supposed to be worn on the belt.
2. Magnetic cube
Interesting entertainment for a teenager or adult can turn into a danger to the life of a small child. In 2012, Buckyballs, the manufacturer of magnetic cubes, recalled this toy from sale. The reason was 1200 cases of hospitalization of children who swallowed parts from a magnetic cube.
1. Pyrotechnic products
Last year, in Moscow alone, on New Year's Eve, 23 people turned to hospitals complaining of injuries and burns from pyrotechnics. And seven of them are minors.
Of course, firecrackers, “crackers” and “rockets” are spectacular, beautiful and noisy. However, children, often unaware of the basic safety rules for handling pyrotechnics, are more likely to be victims of firecrackers and fireworks explosions than adults. Therefore, if you want to happily celebrate the New Year, do not give your son or daughter such a dangerous toy.
