How to identify safe, certified, and age-appropriate toys for kids?
Parents all around the world have one thing in common. Children who are always asking for a new toy. And the biggest challenge here is to find a toy that is completely new for them every single time. So any parent’s usual approach would be to go to a nearby store to scout for some interesting toys or scroll through e-commerce websites.
Time-consuming but pretty simple, right?
But what if there was another issue that many parents do not know about? An issue that is right in front of their eyes, yet the majority of them miss it. In the market, whether online or offline, there are millions of toys available in every price range possible, but not all of them are safe. That certification mark on the toy can be completely fake, and nobody is fully aware of this.
So, with this blog, we will break down how parents can make sure they are getting safe toys for their kids by identifying the fake toys among the right ones.
The Dark Side Of the Indian Toy Market
No shopkeeper in India needs to verify labels or certification marks on the toys before putting them on the shelf. Everyone just simply trusts labels, and people in the industry know that. Some manufacturers sometimes use counterfeit labels and fake certifications to sell their products through online marketplaces. Printing fake BIS or CE marks does not cost much either, and they look very accurate to the original ones.
Toys that are certified in this manner can have the possibility of being coated with LEAD-based paint on their surface. They can also have phthalates, which are hormone-disrupting chemicals, present in small plastic components, and let's be honest, there are very few toys in the market that are not made of plastic. Some toys might also be labelled safe for children under 3, but will be filled with small parts.
There is no way any parent would knowingly buy these toys for their children, but the labels and certification marks look real. Parents trust it. That's the entire business model.
How Can Parents Make Sure They Don’t Fall Into This Trap?
There are 2 simple methods that anyone can follow while purchasing toys from online marketplaces or offline shops. Every toy that is sold in India needs to have a BIS certification and mark on it, even if the toy is imported, so verifying this mark would be the first method. And not by just looking if the mark is there, but by making sure it is not a counterfeit. Every BIS-certified toy has a license number. Using this number, a buyer can verify it at bis.gov.in and make sure the product is real and matches the product category.
The second method is a longer one, more suitable for people who want to 200% sure before they buy a toy for their children. Check the documentation for the CE mark. For this, the person has to directly contact the brand and ask for their declaration of conformity, a legal document every CE-certified product should have.
On a day-to-day basis, following the first method would be the ideal way for verification, as the process is quick, and one can instantly get answers.
For Blix, Toy Safety Standards Are Just As Important As Manufacturing Standards.
Every Product manufactured and sold by Blix is safety tested and carries the certification of Europe (CE), America (ASTM), and India (BIS). The difference for us when it comes to certification is that we don’t do it just because we have to; we do it because providing children with anything less isn’t good enough.
Whether your child is drawn to building things or fascinated by how simple technologies work, there's a safe and BIS-certified Blix kit for every single curiosity. Explore our wide range of STEM toys and robotics kits and find the one that is correct for your child.