Safety Post

The first question that pops into a parent's head when buying toys for their child is often "Is it safe?" I'm not going to lie to you. Model trains are meant to run in circles on a track in a layout and that movement is the fascination for any age.

But for the three to seven crowd, their toys are their friends. They have names and feelings and needs. When the train is done running the track, a younger child will want to snuggle and feed it. They'll probably want to sleep with it, too. The slightly older child will want to take their train along on their day to share experiences with it. Since most model trains say that they're for 8 years and up, is it safe?

Personally, I roll with it within reason. For example, metal wheeled trains can snuggle up for bedtime stories but they sleep on a table next to the bed. That way everybody sleeps safely. And every train gets a safety check before hands-on play.

First, I check for sharp edges, particularly on some of the die-cast metal models. When he was three, the only trains I allowed him to actually play with were the over-sized plastic ready- to- play trains with the batteries removed. His O-gauge engine named Lionel-el was allowed to sit next to his plate at breakfast and enjoy some supervised pets. By four, he was more coordinated and sharp edges weren't as much of a concern. At five, I don't worry about it any more than I do with any toy.

Next, I go over the piece looking for small parts that will break off during play. Most often, it will be the smokestacks, the lights and bells, and the bars that make the wheels work. Some trains have little wires running along their sides that are intended to simulate the pipes or handrails on full sized trains. These come off fairly easily and can present a poking hazard.

When he was three, I pushed and pulled on all of these with a reasonable amount of force. If they gave, I removed them. If they seemed solidly attached, I left them. All play was supervised at this age. As he grew, he brought it to us to fix when it broke. We fixed it if we could. Otherwise- oh well, it was broken. None of these things make the train run and losing them doesn't keep the train from running.

At first, I worried about the electricity in the track presenting a shock hazard but there simply isn't enough current there to cause real hurt. If your child is young enough for you worry about her putting her mouth or tongue on the tracks then definitely supervise all play that involves a "hot" track (one that has electricity running through it).

I've found that the older my son has gotten, the less I've had to worry about what damage the trains can do to him and more about what damage he can do with the trains. There comes a point where it's normal for crashes and all manner of death defying feats of aerial maneuvering to become the big excitement. It's one thing for a stuffed bunny to fly across the room. It's another thing for semi-controlled Hot Wheels cars to go airborne.

It's quite another for an O scale engine to hit a tight curve at full throttle and fly off the track. Yes, he's doing this deliberately. No, he's not supposed to. There are still no breakables near his tracks because he's five and you know he's going to sneak it in when he can.

Please don't let on to him how much I enjoyed the tale he told me, when I caught him, of the desperate mission that Lionel-el was on and how pleased I am that the world has been saved by that brave little engine.

They both had a time-out anyway.