Safe toys for the holidays and all year round

Nordette — Sat, 24 Nov 2007 19:29:10 -0600

Nearing this winter holiday season when stores sell more toys than at any other time of year and during a year when we've heard so much about dangers like lead paint in toys, I've been wondering where can parents find safe toys? Do you wonder the same?

Parent News at The Pikes Peak Gazette, a newspaper serving Colorado Springs, Co., offers a standard tip to parents with toy-safety concerns this year:

With lead paint being discovered all over the place (Boppy Pillow slipcovers and Halloween costume teeth to name a few) and even brand-name toys like Go Diego Go and Barbie being recalled, buying toys can be a dangerous endeavor — just in time for Christmas! Woo hoo! But before you panic and decide to hand-whittle toys for all the kids on your list, take advantage of the recall notifcation resources available over at the Consumer Product Safety Commission (www.cpsc.gov). (Source: How Santa avoids lead, magnets and choking hazards …, Pikes Peak Parent News)

The CPSC announced the Boppy Pillows slipcover recall November 21 due to both choking hazards and lead paint. Pikes Peak Parent News goes on to tell you how you can sign up for recall notices.

BlogHer.com's Contributing Editor Catherine Morgan lists similar resources in her in-depth November 3 post, Toxic Toys: The CDC Reports That Even Small Levels Of Lead Can Be Harmful To Our Children. And on November 8, Denise, another BlogHer CE, told readers that top seller Aqua Dots have gone from being one the hottest holiday toys to being one of the most frightening toys, ever. Certainly this type of news could lead many parents to suffer paranoia about their children's safety in the most ordinary situations, something I wrote about when I first heard about the lead paint recalls in August. However, I believe knowing some safe alternatives to the hottest toys now deemed unsafe may help alleviate parental stress about the toy scares.

The Daily Green offers some helpful information in its environmental news section with 250+ Lead-Free Toys Made in USA.

The Daily Green has reached out to Made-in-USA toy manufacturers all over America to find out what's available this holiday season for kids whose parents are willing to take that extra step to keep their kids (and homes) safe from this deadly environmental toxin. (Daily Green)

The site also offers additional resources at its Toy Watch link.

The bloggger at EM Physician-Backstage Pass, a blog that also points to the Daily Green's guide, presents a list of toys thought to safe at this link. The blog belongs to a health professional who seems to be more than a little irritated about the toy recalls.

In "No Test, No Trust, No Toy" at A Christmas Story blog and under the screen name Awakening, another blogger's posted the "Grandma Noise" graphic you see here that says "Don't test my patience. Just test the damn toys!" Awakening gives the following advice to those shopping for children:

"Find other ways to give a special gift to a little boy and girl, be creative, take the time, memories matter. This year will take a bit more thought, a lot more attention and better investment." (A Christmas Story blog)

The blogger, a displaced New Orleanian, lists alternatives to toys and offers creative gift ideas.

Poster found at A Christmas Story

Nordette Adams is a Contributing Editor at BlogHer.org.

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Safe toys for the holidays and all year round