Buy safe toys for the children in your life

Are you giving safe gifts to the ones you love this season? Use this checklist.

Whether you’re buying gifts for the children in your life or for the children who otherwise won’t have any for the holidays, you need to do it right, for their sakes.
Under the wrong circumstances, e.g. a toy meant for a 6-year-old given to a 3-year-old, a gift can blind, choke, poison, or cut a child, among other accidents.
 
The good news: Prevent Blindness has a list of suggestions for toys of all kinds, and the organizations recommendations are common sense and do-able. Advice like: buy age-appropriate, check for the ASTM safety label, feel the toy for sharp edges, etc.
 
Let’s keep the holidays happy!

Holiday meal at your house? Get your Turkey Toolkit here!

Want your guests to leave your holiday table healthy? Cook the meat right!

We’re repeating the information we had for Thanksgiving because it includes proper meat temperatures and how to store leftovers. The USDA has put together articles on everything from brining, stuffing, and deep frying a turkey, to properly storing leftovers and preparing a bacteria-free holiday. You just have to download the Thanksgiving Toolkit. Again, the information will apply to the December/January holidays as well.

And while you might have the day off, USDA experts are usually at the toll-free hotline – 1-888-674-6854 – from 10 a.m. to 6 p.m., Monday through Friday.

About those endless leftovers. Check out the USDA’s convenient FoodKeeper app on Android and Apple. The app provides storage timelines for your refrigerator, freezer, and pantry for more than 500 products, including baby food, dairy products and eggs, meat, poultry, produce, and seafood.

Happy holidays!