This year, be on top of your game when it comes to household toys. Each year, more than 120,000 children younger than 14 are treated in hospital emergency rooms for toy-related injuries, according to the National SAFE KIDS Campaign. Even innocent-looking toys — such as marbles and balloons — can present a choking hazard to small children. The Child Safety Protection Act, a federal toy-labeling law, requires manufacturers to place warning labels on toys that pose a choking hazard to young children. When selecting a toy for your child, the National SAFE KIDS Campaign recommends you avoid the following:

1. Toys with small, removable parts:

Small parts can pose a choking hazard to children younger than age 3. Use a small parts tester (a plastic tube you can buy at a toy or baby specialty store) to measure the size of the toy or part. If the piece fits entirely inside the tube, then it’s considered a choking hazard.

2. Toys with sharp points or edges:

Children may unintentionally cut themselves or another person.

3. Toys that make loud noises:

Noisemaking toys, such as toy guns and high-volume portable music players, can permanently impair a child’s hearing.

4. Propelled toy darts and other projectiles:

Propelled toys can cause cuts or serious eye injuries.

5. Toys with strings, straps or cords longer than seven inches:

Long strings and cords could wrap around a child’s neck and strangle him.

6. Toys painted with lead-based paint:

Exposure to lead can result in lead poisoning, causing serious damage to a child’s brain, kidneys and nervous system.

7. Toy cap guns:

Paper roll, strip or ring caps can be ignited by the slightest friction, and can cause serious burns.

Source: The National SAFE KIDS Campaign

Get the latest toy recalls at the United States Consumer Product Safety Commission, cpsc.gov. Search “toy recalls.”

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