Try to avoid toys for young children made out of soft plastic vinyl.

In order to make plastic toys soft and bendy, toy makers often add chemicals. But scientists now think this is dangerous. It damages the liver and kidneys of animals, and gives them cancer.

Over the past two years, studies found that:

1. The chemicals can leach out of plastic (that means that sucking plastic pulls them out the same way chewing pulls the flavour out of gum).

2. Based on this information, the governments of seven European countries (Sweden, Denmark, Italy, Belgium, Germany, Holland and Austria) won't let this chemical be used in toys used by children less than three years of age.

How often do you see a toddler sucking a toy made for older children though? Is this enough? What about in New Zealand?