A Mommy Story

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.” .