There is a bit of a misconception among many of the non-archery public that some of the smaller bows we have listed under Kid's Bows are toys. After all, they are designed for young children and a few of them only have draw weights of eight or nine pounds. But the fact is that any bow, regardless of the draw weight and size, can be dangerous in the hands of an unsupervised child. NZAP categorise any bow that shoots an arrow with a metal tip as a "real bow" and strongly recommend that youngsters not be allowed to use them without adult supervision. That includes the Martin XR Recurve and the Tiger Compound Bows listed on a seperate page.

We moved these two bows onto the Toys Page because several of our customers who bought them expressed disappointment in their toy-like qualities, in spite of the fact that they do shoot blunt metal-tipped arrows that can cause pain and damage if used improperly. These bows suit ages between eight an twelve and (we repeat) need adult supervision for safe use.

The Parris Toy Archery Set, and the Bandit Toy Crossbow we have listed elseware, however, are true archery toys that have been thoroughly tested and found to be safe for all ages.