With the holiday season upon us, gift-giving is in full swing. Though generally an exciting time, holiday shopping can also cause anxiety — especially when buying for little ones. When browsing the toy aisle, many questions may come to mind: Is the toy age appropriate? Is it high-quality without breaking the bank?

In addition to these concerns, safety is top priority. Not all toys are created equally; some types of toys are far more dangerous than others.

According to Newsweek, a study published in the journal Clinical Pediatrics reported that every three minutes a child is treated in the emergency room for a toy-related injury. The researchers used information from the National Electronic Injury Surveillance Survey (NEISS), which compiled data from approximately 100 hospitals nationwide between 1990 and 2011.

With this in mind, the experts at HealthGrove used data from the same source (NEISS) to rank 22 categories of toys from least to most safe. If you’re looking for safe, kid-friendly gifts this holiday season, you might want to steer clear of the list’s chart-toppers.



#22. Stilts

Average Annual Injuries: 139

Percent of Injuries to Males: 67.6%

Percent of Injuries to Females: 32.4%

Most Common Body Part Injured: Ankle

#21. Kites

Average Annual Injuries: 265

Percent of Injuries to Males: 75.8%

Percent of Injuries to Females: 24.2%

Most Common Body Part Injured: Ankle

#20. Slingshots

Average Annual Injuries: 275

Percent of Injuries to Males: 74.5%

Percent of Injuries to Females: 25.5%

Most Common Body Part Injured: Eye

#19. Pogo Sticks

Average Annual Injuries: 1,358

Percent of Injuries to Males: 60.5%

Percent of Injuries to Females: 39.5%

Most Common Body Part Injured: Head

#18. Marbles

Average Annual Injuries: 1,496

Percent of Injuries to Males: 59.4%

Percent of Injuries to Females: 40.5%

Most Common Body Part Injured: Internal

#17. Toy Vehicles

Note: Our data source changed its product categorization scheme in January 2010, resulting in the spike seen in the visualization.

Average Annual Injuries: 3,040

Percent of Injuries to Males: 78.5%

Percent of Injuries to Females: 21.5%

Most Common Body Part Injured: Finger

#16. Blocks and Other Building Toys

Average Annual Injuries: 3,127

Percent of Injuries to Males: 70.6%

Percent of Injuries to Females: 29.3%

Most Common Body Part Injured: Face

#15. Dolls

Note: Our data source changed its product categorization scheme in January 2010, resulting in data for this product beginning in 2010.

Average Annual Injuries: 3,316

Percent of Injuries to Males: 43.3%

Percent of Injuries to Females: 56.7%

Most Common Body Part Injured: Face

#14. Wagons

Average Annual Injuries: 4,268

Percent of Injuries to Males: 56.5%

Percent of Injuries to Females: 43.4%

Most Common Body Part Injured: Head

#13. Frisbees

Average Annual Injuries: 5,563

Percent of Injuries to Males: 75.0%

Percent of Injuries to Females: 25.0%

Most Common Body Part Injured: Face

#12. Waterslides

Average Annual Injuries: 5,721

Percent of Injuries to Males: 48.1%

Percent of Injuries to Females: 51.9%

Most Common Body Part Injured: Head

#11. Fireworks and Model Rockets

Average Annual Injuries: 6,274

Percent of Injuries to Males: 72.3%

Percent of Injuries to Females: 27.7%

Most Common Body Part Injured: Eye

#10. Snow Mobiles

Average Annual Injuries: 7,766

Percent of Injuries to Males: 77.7%

Percent of Injuries to Females: 22.3%

Most Common Body Part Injured: Lower Trunk

#9. Go Carts

Average Annual Injuries: 10,716

Percent of Injuries to Males: 71.2%

Percent of Injuries to Females: 28.8%

Most Common Body Part Injured: Head

#8. Sleds

Average Annual Injuries: 19,118

Percent of Injuries to Males: 57.0%

Percent of Injuries to Females: 43.0%

Most Common Body Part Injured: Head

#7. Toy Guns

Average Annual Injuries: 20,604

Percent of Injuries to Males: 79.1%

Percent of Injuries to Females: 20.9%

Most Common Body Part Injured: Face

#6. Scooters

Average Annual Injuries: 32,887

Percent of Injuries to Males: 60.4%

Percent of Injuries to Females: 39.6%

Most Common Body Part Injured: Face

#5. Rollerblades

Average Annual Injuries: 41,501

Percent of Injuries to Males: 35.6%

Percent of Injuries to Females: 64.4%

Most Common Body Part Injured: Wrist

#4. Fishing Equipment

Average Annual Injuries: 46,759

Percent of Injuries to Males: 80.9%

Percent of Injuries to Females: 19.1%

Most Common Body Part Injured: Finger

#3. Trampolines

Average Annual Injuries: 64,554

Percent of Injuries to Males: 52.2%

Percent of Injuries to Females: 47.7%

Most Common Body Part Injured: Ankle

#2. Skateboards

Average Annual Injuries: 67,647

Percent of Injuries to Males: 87.4%

Percent of Injuries to Females: 12.6%

Most Common Body Part Injured: Ankle

#1. Bicycles and Tricycles

Average Annual Injuries: 416,052

Percent of Injuries to Males: 73.8%

Percent of Injuries to Females: 26.1%

Most Common Body Part Injured: Head

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