Once upon a time, you could buy a toy for your child and not give it a second thought. It was a time not that long ago, yet it seems to be gone forever.
As a parent, I am in shock and dismay at all of the toy recalls lately. It leaves me wondering if there is anything safe out there for my children. All of us are going to have to be choosier and do more research before buying anything for our kids. It might take some extra time to investigate before we buy, but it will be time well spent.
With the holidays quickly approaching, I decided to start looking up safer toy choices. I found several resources for toys that claim to be safe and lead free. Of course I cannot vouch 100% for their safety (as none of us can), but the companies that sell them do.
Back To Basics Toys issued this statement about their toys:
"While none of our products have been involved in the recent recalls, we realize that the impression is that products made in China are not safe. Back To Basics Toys utilizes independent laboratories for safety testing, and we feel strongly in the integrity, value, and safety of our entire collection – regardless of origin. We remain focused on making sure that products are made to conform to safety standards, and that our items provide the quality and play value that you expect.
For more information about general toy safety please see the Toy Industry Association web site at www.toy-tia.org. While we feel that our entire collection is safe and family-friendly, we realize that you may only feel comfortable buying an item if it is made in North America or Europe. For your convenience, we have compiled a list of best sellers made outside of Asia."
Here is my list so far of what I hope are safe toy choices:
CambiumLair- Made In The USA"
Maple Landmark- Made in USA
American Plastic Toy Deluxe Housekeeping Set Made in USA: Offers a great variety of plastic toys made in the USA
ChessHeads Deck Builder by Wizergames Made in USA Fun For All Ages
Add to:
For a bunch of links to American-made stuff for kids, please check out my website, http://www.toysmadeinamerica.com — I've compiled over 100 clickable links to some great American-made toys and products! Thanks! Teresa
Posted by: teresat | November 6th, 2007 10:15 am |
Thanks Teresa! I ended up making a site about it: http://www.squidoo.com/leadfreetoys/
Also, Flupo Blog is trying to compile a list as well….. you should add your link there too http://flugpo-blog.blogspot.com/
Thanks,
Kelly
Posted by: KellyBax | November 6th, 2007 12:24 pm |
Hello everyone,
Being a parent myself, I am quite concerned about the lead content in toys. I also went ahead and posted an article about where to purchase lead free toys. There may be something on there for you. Check it out! :
http://www.associatedcontent.com/article/441363/where_to_purchase_leadfree_toys_this.html
Posted by: Jess | November 11th, 2007 10:44 pm |
With all of the scary toy recalls here is another option for parents:
I am a mom and pop, small, and just starting out educational toy/kit company. I was a teacher for 15 years and now an educational consultant who decided there has to be a way so every child will have a great start. I work with many early childhood daycares and K-12 School Districts to develop their teacher’s skills and find it exasperating at times at the lack of wanting to improve their knowledge. Hence, I started my own line of kits and books.
My web site is http://www.loving2learn.com and my goal is that EVERY child will always explore and love to learn. I have started out with two kits. The first kit focuses on the alphabet letter identification and more importantly the letter sounds. In the kit is a DVD that parents just pop in and the kids read and repeat the alphabet letters, an object that is associated with that letter, and the letter sound. The great thing is they can and should do this over and over again so every child has success. In this same kit we play three games together; the CAPITAL letter game, the small letter game, and the sounds the letters make game. Again they play these over and over until they have success. Once the parent feels their child has mastered these skills they will do the check-up sheet in the kit to make sure they have these skills or they know what letters and sounds they need to concentrate on with their child.
The other kit is Writing the Letters. The parent just pops in the DVD and the child can write right along with me. I introduce the letter, verbally and visually say how to write the letter three times, and then the child can write the letter with me on their wipe off board which is in the kit . Also, in the kit is a writing journal, a sheet that shows how to write each letter, and a check-up sheet.
I am posting this week a Math Mania Kit which many preschools and schools asked if I could put together. But I do not have a DVD with this one yet. There is a fantastic Game Sheet though that specifically tells the parents various ways to play each games. There are five early math games that can be played in hundreds of ways.
I also feature leveled books on my web site. Each level of books builds on each other so kids can read very early and love to read because they have success.
Every child should be safe and successful to play and learn!
Posted by: Mrs. Grandt | November 13th, 2007 12:38 pm |
That sounds like some great ideas. Thanks for posting!
Posted by: KellyBax | November 13th, 2007 12:52 pm |
Excellent post!
Please also check out http://americanmadetoys.googlepages.com/americanmadetoys for a list of over 85 links to companies that sell toys made in the U.S.A.
Thanks!
Posted by: Sandy | November 15th, 2007 12:51 am |
Thank you Sandy. The more the better!
Posted by: KellyBax | November 15th, 2007 4:30 am |
I have bought many toys and products from my favorite kids shopping store BabiesRUs at great discounted prices..
Posted by: Kade | December 3rd, 2007 6:03 am |
Thanks for the tip Kade!
Posted by: KellyBax | December 3rd, 2007 6:26 am |
Nice post.I am quite concerned about the lead content in toys. I also went ahead and posted an article about where to purchase lead free toys.
Posted by: x-ray fluorescence | January 21st, 2009 1:19 am |