Determining Age Appropriateness of Children's Products and Toys: An Interagency Agreement With the Consumer Product Safety Commission

The primary study outcome is the video-coded measures of play complexity. We will examine differences in the mean scores of play complexity by the type of toy the child receives.

Background:
 
 Play during childhood is an important part of healthy development, and children can learn
 many things when they play. Much of the time that children spend playing is with toys.
 However, children at different ages need different types of toys to engage in healthy play.
 
 Understanding children s play with toys is important to the National Institute of Child
 Health and Human Development (NICHD), and to the U.S. Consumer Product Safety Commission
 (CPSC). The CPSC rates toys that are currently available in the United States for children
 for age appropriateness. NICHD will share the findings of this study with CPSC to aid in
 their toy rating process.
 
 Objective:
 
 To categorize traditional and contemporary children s products and toys into age appropriate
 groups.
 
 Eligibility:
 
 Healthy children 6 months to 12 years old.
 
 Their parents.
 
 Design:
 
 Participants will be screened with a phone call with the parents.
 
 Participants will complete surveys online or on paper, and by phone. These will ask about
 demographic facts, behavior, thoughts on parenting and toys, and child development.
 
 Participants will have 1 study visit. The child will play with toys by himself or herself.
 Then they will play with their parent. A researcher will observe. The sessions will be
 videotaped.
 
 Children will share their thoughts about the toys by pointing at a smiley face scale.
 
 Parents will fill out a short survey. Then can choose to participate in a 1-hour focus group.