Now that the Thanksgiving holiday has passed, the shopping season is officially under way! Last week, the U.S. Consumer Product Safety Commission (“CPSC”) released tips for a “Safer Holiday Toy Shopping and Playing Experience.” If you are one of those shoppers that got their holiday shopping finished at 3:00 a.m. on Black Friday, these tips come too late. For all other sane people, the CPSC’s tips are helpful to consider when shopping during the upcoming holidays.

According to the CPSC, from 2008 to 2010, both toy recalls and toy-related fatalities have declined. The CPSC attributes the decrease in recalls and fatalities with the increased safeguards put in placed in the recent years. Some of those safeguards included establishing lead paint and lead content limits, tracking imports and converting voluntary toy standards into mandatory standards.

Despite the decrease in toy recalls and toy-related fatalities over the past several years, the CPSC reported that toy-related injuries are increasing. “In 2009, there were an estimated 186,000 emergency room-treated injuries related to toys with children younger than 15, which is up from 152,000 injuries in 2005.” While these injuries may be associated with a toy, they were not necessarily caused by the toy. Regardless, this increase in injuries is a concern of the CPSC and, therefore, it released three main tips to help keep the holiday season incident-free:

1. Always choose age appropriate toys.
2. Always include safety gear when purchasing sports-related or ride-on toys.
3. Always take note of the location of play — avoid traffic, water, kitchens, and bathrooms.

In addition to the above, the CPSC recommended avoiding balloons and magnets for small children, immediately discarding wrapping when a toy is opened, and supervising children when they are charging batteries. The CPSC hopes that with these tips, shoppers will be armed with considerations when buying toys for their family members. Happy shopping!

Happy Labor Day to all! As a public service to you, our dear readers, we provide this link from the Department of Labor about the history of Labor Day, as well as the following quote:

We here at Abnormal Use are observing Memorial Day today in honor and remembrance of all the men and women who have died serving the American military. Do you know the history of Memorial Day? Briefly, Memorial Day, originally called Decoration Day, was officially proclaimed on May 5, 1868 by General John Logan, national commander of the Grand Army of the Republic, as a time to honor those that gave their lives in the Civil War. After World War I, Americans honored those that died in all America’s wars on this day. In 1971, Congress declared Memorial Day an official federal holiday.

Many Americans celebrate this day by visiting memorials or attending family gatherings, including picnics, pool parties, and parades. If you are in fact heading to a pool party, take a look at the U.S. Consumer Product Safety Commission’s press release regarding its Pool and Safely campaign that was launched last week. This is campaign is a “first-of-its-kind national public education effort to reduce child drownings and non-fatal submersions, and entrapments in swimming pools and spas.” It will be interesting to see what directives come out of this campaign.

Whatever the case, the summer is now underway! Enjoy your day off.