Is that too much to ask for?
Lead. Dangerous magnets. BPA and PVC plastic. And now Aqua Dots covered with a chemical that metabolizes the same as the date rape drug. It seems like this is a dangerous year for toys.
It’s hard enough to find toys that you feel at least have some educational component to them. But now parents are forced to consider if the newest shiny plastic toy is secretly a ticking time bomb slowly poisoning their children.
I think it will be tough to shop for my daughters this holiday season. I’m pretty sure that I’ll be closely examining labels for that “Made in China” small print, and then moving on to something with less chance of being recalled someday.
A new drug must go through rigorous testing before it can be released to the public. Our food undergoes strict testing for contaminants. So why are toys getting onto shelves in high numbers filled with lead paint and toxic chemicals? The CPSC has just one guy responsible for toy testing – one guy. And they don’t seem all that concerned with expanding their agency to improve safety standards for children’s products.
I’ve been lucky so far. Only one toy in our house has been in the recent round of recalls. But I’m not sure how lucky I am – for while some companies are voluntarily recalling their toys, it’s likely that others are not testing their toys at all, or hiding the information to avoid bad publicity. Who knows how many other toys in Cordy’s toy box aren’t safe?
The lead paint scare didn’t bother me at first. Cordy has never been one of those kids who puts things in her mouth. If it’s not food, it generally doesn’t get slobbered on. But now that Mira is with us, I’m scared. Mira, from the very beginning, has proven to be a very oral child. Anything she gets her hands on goes right to her mouth. It’s only a few months before she’ll be crawling, which means she’ll head directly to Cordy’s toys to savor the forbidden taste. (Come on, we all know younger siblings think their older sibling’s toys are the best!)
So what’s on my shopping list this year? I’m not sure yet. Toys ‘R Us has published a list of 500 toys that are not made in China. I also will be looking for more toys from smaller mom and pop companies that make their own products and stand behind their safety. I might even fall back on the family habit of buying books for the girls instead of toys.
You might say that our kids still have safer toys today than we did. That’s true, but it’s partially because we know more about what is safe and what isn’t, so we should hold the toys of today to that higher standard. And while I want the government to beef up its testing and safety guidelines for any product marketed to a child, I also know that the real responsibility lies in the hands of the parents. It’s up to us to be educated about what’s safe and make the best choices for our children.
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This post has been written in conjunction with the Parent Bloggers Network blog blast sponsored by Consumer’s Union, urging parents to “Get the Lead Out This Holiday Season”. Consumer’s Union is encouraging 12 Days of Safe Shopping (11/23 to 12/4) with parents sending letters to Congress and making their local stores aware of their concerns by becoming “safe shoppers.” .
Thanks for that TRU link – I wasn’t aware of that!
I think that part of the issue is we all want to pay Everyday Low Prices at WalMart for our toys. So what do you think gets cut? Wages for workers. Environmental protections. Safety and inspections.
We have to start learning that we can’t have it both ways in this country. And that “cheap” isn’t the same as “value.”
By the way just to jump on jia little (sorry jia!) this isn’t an import issue. China is not the problem, nor is the US the solution. There are plenty of fabulous, safe, wonderful toys made in Canada, in Europe (very high standards, particularly Germany), in South America – even in other Asian countries like Thailand where Plan Toys is based. They were the first to pioneer toys made from sustainable rubberwoods.
So I’m a little scared to turn this into US versus the world jingoism, because I think it’s a little more complex than that.
Girl I understand completely. I belong to an online mothers group, http://www.happyhousewivesclub.com and we’ve been talking about this since day one. The author of the book Happy Housewives has even started a new site, http://www.mombuysamerican.com/
It has a blacklist and also a list of stores and such that are American Made. I hope that helps ya!
Jia
Sigh… I know. It sucks. Not sure what to do, exactly, but I will be checking that link out.
Excellent point re. the toy testing.
I myself have become fed up with this issue as well. I started a blog to post my findings on items that are not made in China to help others find items made elsewhere. For some items it is really hard to do!
I have bought toys from Rosies Hippos (I think that’s what it’s called) and been very happy with them.
To add to what Liz said, toys come with the same issue as gasoline and food. They are expensive to produce sustainably and healthfully, but it’s very short-sighted to not pay the price upfront.
I told my husband about the GHB thing and he didn’t really believe me. It does kinda sound like an article from The Onion, eh?
Yeah, totally. I was nodding with Mom101’s thing about toys being made in other countries that are probably safer than a lot of US-made stuff. I have found that our best (in quality, workmanship and safety) toys are wooden and made in Germany.
Thanks for writing about this. Although my only child is 5, we don’t have to worry as much but still, we’ve got lots of younger kiddos to buy for this Christmas.
Thanks for the links! I find myself checking the “Made in ” label…
The Government really needs to step up.
Don’t worry about the lead. I am from Bangladesh. The level of led in those toys are very less than we are breading air or drinking water in everyday Dhaka city. Playing with those toys will not effect much.
As a regular led taker I can tell you it don’t kill us, it just cause some minor problems. China is making so many nice, cheap things, the toy maker all over the world don’t like them at all. That’s why so much shouting going on about the toys.
Led will no do any harm to your child. It is harmful in the long run. So, mom don’t worry too much.Just buy your child what ever he / she wants, make them happy. Nowadays, It is very hard to see smiling face of child.
Nafis