Parents and childcare organizations often rely on the CE mark as a guarantee of safe products. Yet research shows that even European-produced toys are not always free from harmful substances. This is reported by Kinderopvangtotaal.
CE mark offers insufficient protection
The CE mark on toys indicates that a manufacturer declares the product complies with European safety standards. However, this self-declaration provides no complete certainty. Compliance checks are limited, and not all harmful substances are covered by current regulations. For children, who are more susceptible to chemical substances due to their play behavior and physiology, this poses an additional risk.
Children put toys in their mouths more often, have a higher skin surface area relative to their body weight, and their organs are still developing. As a result, even small amounts of toxic substances can cause relatively more severe health effects than in adults.
Responsibility lies with purchasers
For childcare organizations, this means they cannot blindly trust origin labels or certification marks. The procurement of toys requires active monitoring for the presence of harmful substances. This applies not only to cheap imported toys, but also to products from European production.
What does this mean for parents?
Parents choosing childcare would be wise to ask how the organization handles toy safety. Some key points to consider:
- Ask whether the childcare has a specific purchasing policy for toys, for example with a preference for natural materials such as wood and cotton
- Check your child's toys at home yourself: watch out for strong chemical odors, flaking paint or dyes, and broken pieces that could be swallowed
- When in doubt, choose toys with independent certification marks such as the EU Ecolabel or the Nordic Swan Ecolabel, which set stricter requirements than the basic CE mark
- Be extra vigilant with soft plastic toys, battery-operated stuffed animals, and cheap children's jewelry, as these product categories more often contain problematic substances
The Healthcare and Youth Inspectorate (IGJ) periodically checks safety in childcare, but specific toy inspections largely fall under the Netherlands Food and Consumer Product Safety Authority (NVWA). Childcare organizations themselves remain primarily responsible for the safety of their materials.