The following rules should be followed for choosing gifts for kids that are not your own. To those of you with kids these ideas will appear obvious. But just think, there are people in the world without small children, people who do not dedicate a section of their brains to scanning the ground for choking hazards as they walk through a room. These people may need help, and we here at the Toy Report feel it is our duty to help educate them.

Magnet Toys
Magnet Toys are fun for kids of all ages, but are one of the most dangerous swallowing hazards out there. Swallow one magnet and they will likely pass right through so to speak. Swallow two magnets and they can attach from different sections in the intestines and cause major life threatening problems. You do NOT want to be the Aunt that caused little Jimmy to need major stomach surgery.

Pop Culture Characters
This may seem less obvious to many, but unless you know that a child already loves a kids pop culture icon, do not buy them Dora, Diego, Spiderman, Barbie, Poke mon, or similar items as a birthday gift. They can spark a pop culture frenzy that some parents may prefer to avoid. It's akin to smoking cigarettes, far easier to never start than it is to stop once you are addicted. Mommy and Daddy may never be able to get through the supermarket again without tantrums for whatever Dora branded junk food is on the shelves.

Kids love to play with tiny toys sized for tiny fingers. We know many 6 year old girls that LOVE Polly Pockets, and many 5 year old boys that love Lego Sets (And vice versa). But their 1 year old sibling is going to eat them and we all know nothing good can come of it. The same rules apply to a 4 year old, but for different reasons. They may not eat the toys, but they are not old enough to understand picking up after themselves yet. You'll doom their parents to endless cleanup time. Leave the choice up to the parents if they want to clean up 50 tiny parts after the kids go to bed and get them something larger.