Everyday Items Can Be Hazards for Kids : Health: Doctors say balloons, balls, pills, peanuts--almost anything--can hurt a child. And parents aren’t getting the message.

NEW YORK —  Ask Elaine Tyrrell of the U.S. Consumer Product Safety Commission to name some of the objects that children can choke on. Her chilling reply: “Everything, everything--everything is a choking hazard.”

“Toys, everyday items, of course, are always in the home,” Tyrrell said. “They’re a part of life.”

According to national safety figures, 284 children under age 10 have died in choking-related accidents during the last 10 years; the number includes 186 deaths involving children’s products.

Balloons topped the list of items linked to children’s choking deaths (76), according to Consumer Product Safety Commission reports. Balls (40 deaths) and marbles (10 deaths) were also high on the list. Other items involved children’s jewelry, a crib bolt, a toy soldier, the eye or nose of a stuffed animal.

Dr. Katherine Karlsrud, a New York pediatrician, says balloons, balls, pills, peanuts--almost anything--is a potential choking object.

Parents aren’t heeding--or maybe are not even getting--warnings to keep those objects out of the reach of children, Karlsrud says.

“I don’t think we stress the importance of teaching young doctors when parents come in for 2- and 4-month checkups, even prenatal visits, about getting homes safely ready for a new baby,” she said. “But it’s an important part of child rearing.”

It’s especially true in households with more than one child, because the smaller kids want to play with the toys of their older brothers and sisters, she said.

“I’ve found parents are naturally more relaxed about their second child,” said Karlsrud, who has two children, ages 2 1/2 and 6 1/2.

She laughed, “A few of my friends won’t invite me over for dinner. I see the older children leaving their toys around and tell them.”

Karlsrud is a clinical professor of pediatrics at New York Hospital-Cornell and spokeswoman for a new anti-choking campaign sponsored by Fisher-Price toy manufacturer of East Aurora, N.Y.

Annually, about 38,000 kids under age 6 are treated in hospital emergency rooms for consumer product-related ingestion and aspiration injuries, the Consumer Product Safety Commission says.

Fisher-Price said it is establishing its family alert program based on its experience with its Little People line of products.

The firm said seven choking deaths and one incident resulting in serious injury have been associated with its original Little People play figures, which the company began to market in 1965.

“The incidents involved children who were under the recommended age range for the toy with one exception, which involved a developmentally delayed child,” the company said. “In addition, there have been other choking incidents involving Little People that have not resulted in significant injury.”

The company said that although the original Little People meet all industry and government standards and are properly age-graded, it began selling new, larger figures in 1991 that are almost twice the size of the original play figures.

As part of its anti-choking campaign, the firm plans to distribute educational materials, including brochures and posters. It will target parents, care givers, pediatricians and early childhood professionals.

To report an unsafe consumer product or a product-related injury, consumers can call the U.S. Consumer Product Safety Commission’s toll-free number: (800) 638-2772. For the hearing impaired: (800) 638-8270.

Additional information about Little People and a booklet on ways to reduce choking risks is available by sending your name, address and ZIP code to Fisher-Price Family Alert Program, P.O. Box 7, Aurora, N.Y. 14052.

Safety Tips for Parents

* Keep small items like these out of the reach of young children: small batteries, paper clips, small toy figures and parts, nails and screws, coins, keys, balloons, marbles and jewelry.

* Be watchful when feeding your young child any firm foods unless they are completely chopped.

* Be particularly careful when offering the following: hard candies, nuts and raisins, chunks of meat, hot dogs, raw carrots and grapes.

* Make sure that children eat at the table and not when running around the house. And make certain older siblings don’t offer foods to a younger child.

* Prevent your toddler from playing with toys that are age-graded for older siblings. Be sure these toys are stored out of reach of your 1- or 2-year-old.

* Contact the manufacturer if you are unsure about the age-grading of any of its products.

* Be sure to spend sufficient time discussing safety measures with anyone who watches over your young child.

Source: Fisher-Price Family Alert Program brochure, 1992