Many parents tend to wrap up their children in kid gloves. Although our early years were spent outdoors climbing trees and riding bikes, we feel that the world is a much more dangerous place now and we try to keep them safe at a risk of stifling them and hindering their personal and social development.
It is the same with kid's toys. We find it harder to differentiate between childrens products which could be safe and those which are harmful. We fear that they will fall off a bike or that they will injure themselves on the swing. This is not helped by the suing culture that is becoming more prevalent today.
The key is moderation and supervision. We have to strike a careful balance between stopping our children from doing those activities which are clearly risky or potentially harmful; and allowing those activities which carry a minor element of risk.
We have to weigh up how likely a particular risk is going to be, as objectively as possible rather than clouded by emotion. If a child is allowed to go ahead with a potentially risky activity, such as horse-riding, then it is the parent's duty to make sure that they are sensible and are taught of any dangers.
A child who is not exposed to any dangers at all is at serious risk of being unable to handle the outside world, and they may not recognise other more potentially dangerous risks in the future.