14-month-old Avery is at the age where innocent-looking toys can pose a choking danger.
"She’s teething so everything goes to the mouth," said Sharon Caraway, Avery’s mother.
That’s why Avery’s parents are careful to make sure certain toys don’t wind up under their tree.
"The ones that have holes that have toys that go in, that she can put in her mouth," said Sharon Caraway.
Doctors at Texas Children’s Hospital in Houston say choking is a top toy hazard. They're the number one cause of toy-related deaths and injuries.
"In the little kids, the choking. If there is airway obstruction and you can’t dislodge it, it is going to be catastrophic in the sense that the brain loses oxygen," explained Dr. Gabriela Cardone, an emergency room doctor at Texas Children’s.
If a toy can fit into a toilet paper tube it is too small for children under three.
There are other dangers that may not be so obvious, like magnets.
"Magnets can be really small, so they can be swallowed," said Seema Patel with Texas Children’s Hospital. "So if they get into the intestines, there are a lot of different things that can happen that may result in the child needing surgery."
Experts also warn you should use caution when buying second-hand toys. If you shop at resale stores or buy on auction Web sites like eBay, do some research to make sure the toy hasn’t been recalled.
Lead-tainted toys, loud toys that can causing hearing damage and soft plastic toys that contain chemicals called phthalates are others things to watch out for.
