New Toy safety rules to be imposed by the EU.

[anotheoldgit]

http://www.telegraph....-EU-safety-rules.html

Although children have been blowing up balloons for years, they are banned from doing so unless supervised by an adult.

Other safety concerns include the blowing of party whistles.

EU legislation will also impose restrictions on how noisy toys, including rattles or musical instruments, are allowed to be.

All Teddy Bears meant for children under the age of three will now have to be fully washable because EU regulators are concerned that dirty cuddly toys could spread disease and infection.

Seems like the EU regulators after annoying the majority of adults with all their ridiculous rules and regulations over the years, are now interfering with our kids pleasures.

How do our European masters expect to enforce these rather silly rules?

[rowanwitch]

of course getting teddy away from said child long enough to wash it could prove even more damaging....

[cazzz1975]

I prefer teddy bears to be washable, generally they get very grimy over a period of time

[Mamyalynne]

All the children in my family have always expected the adults to have the balloons blown up ready for the party - not one has ever asked to blow one up.

I wash soft toys if they need it, as for party blowers - have seen more children choke on toast.

[rowanwitch]

I believe games will all have to carry a health warning... excessive use of this item can seriously take over your life

[anotheoldgit]

Maybe if the EU have a thing about how loud some children's toys must be, should perhaps look into bringing out legislation to limit the amount of noise coming from car music systems, Home music systems and TV surround sound systems?

[nungate]

I used to steam clean my daughter's teddies if they weren't washable - the steam that came out of the cleaner was well over 100 degrees, and they could always be put in the freezer for a while to kill off any dust mites etc. Pointless exercise to limit the amount of noise any musical instuments make - children will always make lots of noise - haven't they heard about using an old biscuit tin as a drum! A little common sense please!

[youngmafbog]

AOG, wont be long before they do.

Believe me these people will not stop until every facet of your life is controlled by them. Democracy will no longer exist (it doesn't much anyway since we dont vote these faceless beurocrats in)

[naomi24]

Who's going to police the blowing up of balloons?

[ichkeria]

Making teddy bears washable seems sensible to me.
No one is saying you have to wash them!
Some of the other regulations (if true) seem a bit daft, although I don't particularly have an objection to many of them, as presumably they are enforceable only at things like children's parties. I personally wouldn't want our 3-year old blowing up balloons, and there are certain noisy toys I could cheerfully ban altogether, if only for the mental stability of the older folk!

Ther are EU regulations for all sorts of things - but I prefer to think of them as guidelines. Many are unenforceable anyway.

[BrainsTracy]

I'm delighted that all the major problems in the EU have now been solved. Now they are turning to the more mundane things to regulate.

[Gromit]

I do wish the Daily Mail would stop encouraging these EU fanatics with sensationalist stories about children dying.

http://www.dailymail....c-efforts-mother.html

[ichkeria]

Damn it all Gromit we British must surely be free to see our own children choke to death without fear of interference from faceless Brussels bureaucrats ...

[whiskeryron]

Soon look forward to having your breathing monitored.
You will be allowed to inhale oxygen mix at the rate of 60 breaths per minute any more than that will be charged @ 25 Euros per breath.
Also every citizen will be taxed on the volume of air per room.
Should anybody dare to die before using their allotted air supply they will be severely dealt with.

W Ron.

[Gromit]

You are right ichkeria,

Next thing these EU monsters will be interfering in our right to run down children in our cars. Again, it is mamby pamby lefties like the AA which encourage the EU by introducing unhelpful facts like:

■ Around 5,000 children under the age of 16 die or are seriously injured on Britain’s roads each year

■ Nearly two in three road accidents happen when children are walking or playing

■ Almost two-thirds of child accident victims are boys

■ As a child gets older the risk of a road accident increases

■ A child from a low-income family is five times more likely than a child from a high-income family to be killed on the road

■ Children from an ethnic minority are involved in up to twice as many accidents while walking or playing as the national average

■ The risk of being involved in a road accident when walking or playing is more than 10 times greater for a child with hearing difficulties.

http://www.theaa.com/...ents_and_children.pdf

Of course, any EU legislation to protect children will be completely unhelpful and unenforcable.

[anotheoldgit]

Gromit

Another historic (March 2008) link brought out of the archives, to somehow prove a point.

At the time Gromit this was a very tragic accident, which the Daily Mail reported as did,

The London Evening Standard:

http://www.thisislond...orts-of-her-mother.do

Also The Sun

http://www.thesun.co....ews/article974391.ece

This was news at the time, and reported just as most tragic accidents are, 'Drowned in a swimming pool', 'Run over by a parents car' 'Killed in a house fire' etc, etc.

I think it is most insensitive of you to use this old 3 year plus report on a very tragic accident, to somehow support your pro-European views, while at the same time taking your usual dig at The Daily Mail.

Good job I entered a Telegraph link of the actual news report.

[anotheoldgit]

naomi24

/// Who's going to police the blowing up of balloons? ///

The Anti-Terrorist squad.