Water balloon slingshots top WATCH list of unsafe summer toys

BOSTON — A Boston-based consumer watchdog group has warned of the dangers to children of water balloon slingshots, lawn darts and other summer toys.

Those playthings top a list of 10 questionable toys issued Thursday by World Against Toys Causing Harm, better known by its acronym, W.A.T.C.H.

Others include low-riding wheeled toys; swimming pools; all-terrain vehicles; toys with small parts; baby pools and garden buckets; backyard water slides; high-powered water guns; and bounce houses and backyard trampolines.

The group says more than 2.5 million American children are injured each summer. It says many of those accidents are preventable.

Last summer, the organization singled out fidget spinners — those popular plastic and metal toys that users spin around a finger — saying they pose a choking hazard.

WATCH’s Top 10 Summer Safety Traps for 2018

• Water balloon slingshots

• Lawn Darts

• Big Wheels and other plastic tricycles

• Backyard pools (in-ground and above-ground)

• ATVs

• Toys with small parts

• Baby pools, garden buckets

• Backyard water slides

• High-powered water guns

• Bounce houses, trampolines