The recalls of popular toys due to safety issues have many parents looking at toy alternatives, including American and European-made toys. At first glance older kids aren't at great risk of chewing on lead-painted toys or swallowing magnets; but, the dangers of many popular toys concern families, especially those with younger siblings in the home.
What are the options for families who want to purchase American-made and other toy alternatives? First, let's look at the types of toys that are being recalled. The U.S. Consumer Product Safety Commission lists Toy Hazard Recalls, which currently include many popular character toys from well-known toy companies. Mattel shows their recalled toys with pictures, which helps parents determine if they have any of these toys in their home. Lead paint dangers are found in many of the character toys, as well as in child products such as jewelry, vinyl lunchboxes, and address books with painted spiral bindings.
Small magnets may not be apparent in many toys, but our much-loved Polly Pockets are just one of the figure-type toys and playsets that have small magnets. Swallowing these magnets can cause serious injury and even death of children. In April, 2007, the Consumer Product Safety Commission issued an even stronger alert to parents about the dangers of magnets. The majority of injuries due to swallowing magnets have been to children over age three, and some as old as age eleven. Expect even more toy recalls in the coming weeks and months, according to the Consumer Reports blog.
We need to be smart about what we buy, even for older kids. The Consumer Product Safety Commission doesn't test all toys. This responsibility falls to the toymakers and the retailers. Wal-Mart is expanding it's toy safety testing as are all the major toymakers. While our first reaction is to 'Buy American', even the few American toy manufacturers left aren't perfectly safe, as evidenced by the findings reported in this Chicago Tribune article that lead paint on handles was found on Massachusetts-based Schylling toy tops and pails.
With the toy-buying season ahead, more testing will lead to more recalls, but also to more assurances of safe toys on the store shelves. Follow the news on toy safety as you make your toy purchases. Two excellent resources are the Consumer Product Safety Commission's Toy Hazard Recalls and the U.S. PIRG web site. U.S. PIRG, the federation of state Public Interest Research Groups, gives in-depth information on all toy hazards, an annual dangerous toy list, and tips for toy safety.
Next > Finding American-made, European-made and Safety-tested Toys