A Safe Toy Chest for Boys

How do you find a safe toy chest for boys?  With all the bad press and accidents surrounding children's toys today, it's important to remember to look for a safe toy chest.  Otherwise, you risk injury or even death for your little boy.  But what toy chest is actually safe?

There are a few things you need to look for.  Whether you want a pirate toy chest or a safari toy chest, you can find a safe box in a design that you like online.  Here is a brief list of safety factors a toy chest should include:

1. The lid does not latch.  Boys especially are likely to climb into their toy box to play.  They like to use it as a boat or a race car, or even use it to play hide and seek.  If a lid latches with a child inside, it can cause suffocation and death.  There should not be any latching, and the lid should fit loosely.  Ideally, there should be air holes, but these are hard to find.
2. The lid does not slam shut.  A slamming lid can cause a concussion, smashed fingers, or even a broken neck.  Keep that from happening with hinges that close slowly or lock into place.  Slow close is preferable, as this is easier for a boy to use.  The ones that lock into place may cause pinched fingers when the child tries to get it loose.
3. Finger protection grooves.  Some toy chests come with spaces for the fingers on the box to prevent any accidental pinching.  However, this may not be necessary if your box lid closes slowly.  It wouldn't hurt though!
4. Lead free paint.  This last feature is hard to grade.  The manufacturer seldom will tell you what sort of paint that they use.  If you are buying an older toy box or a cheaper one, you may want to do a home test.