Preventing toy-related injuries this Christmas - 21 News Now, More Local News for Youngstown, Ohio -

Each year, more than 3 billion toys and games are sold in the United States.  Although the majority of them are safe, they can become dangerous if misused or if they fall into the wrong hands.

"Each year approximately 217,000 children are brought to the emergency room for toy related injuries and 46% of those are injuries to the face and head," said Akron Children's Hospital Mahoning Valley's injury prevention coordinator.

According to Safe Kids Worldwide, most toy-related injuries occur when parents overestimate their children's ability to handle a toy designed for an older age group.

"Most of the time, the box the toy comes in will say what age group it is appropriate for and it is really important to stick with that because they do a lot of tests to figure out the age that it is appropriate for," said Ramsey.

Each year, approximately 15 children under the age of 14 die from toy-related incidents.  Ramsey says many of those deaths are caused by strangulation or choking.  Ramsey encourages parents to read the labels on each toy.  The Child Safety Protection Act requires manufactures to place warnings on toys that pose choking hazards to young children.

"Children under three should never play with a toy that is small enough to fit in a toilet paper roll or a toy tester.  So, that is very important especially if you have older siblings that do have smaller toys or small pieces that they are out of reach for children under three," said Ramsey.

Ramsey encourages parents to check the website www.recalls.gov for the most recent product recall information, as well as, mail in the warranty and product registration forms.