At this stage, if you’re not organised for the 25th, you’re likely to be found rushing around stores like a headless chicken and offering to sell your soul for that Princess Elsa toy.
As hectic as things can get at Christmas however, parents simply cannot afford to be lax about toy safety.
Unfortunately, it seems that many Irish mums and dads are throwing caution to the wind regarding their kids’ toys, with thousands found to be purchasing items which have not been safety tested.
This concerning finding was made during a recent survey by the State’s Behaviour & Attitudes watchdog, which revealed that many parents are buying toys that don’t bear the CE mark.
Standing for the French translation of the words ‘European conformity’, the CE mark is a mandatory addition to the packaging of any toy that has passed EU safety testing.
The survey, carried out for the Competition and Consumer Protection Commission (CCPC), revealed that one in three parents will knowingly purchase a toy that doesn’t bear the required CE mark.
Out of the 1001 adults surveyed, parents proved to be the worst for ignoring warnings over the CE mark, while older people proved more likely to be vigilant regarding safety standards.
Urging parents to pay heed to the warnings and avoid purchasing unsafe or sub-standard toys, CCPC Director Fergal O’Leary said: "All toys must carry a CE mark, and toys or their packaging must contain the name and address of the manufacturer and the importer, if different."
