Lead to Believe

What about all of these toy recalls? This is scary stuff. We grew up on brands like Mattel, one of the names we’ve come to trust. They’ve announced three toy recalls in less than two months. Admittedly, they’ve faced the problems head on and tried to spread the word, provided a consumer hotline info, and been open about the problems. Clearly farming out production over seas saves the company money, which saves the consumer money. The problem is that a great deal of control is lost in the process – and other countries don’t have the same standards.

Add to this the fact that many of us are living in older homes, which likely have layers of lead-tainted paint. Personally, my home is over 60 years old with paint induced texture on the walls that read like a tree’s trunk.

No easy solutions… Obviously organic cotton dolls, wooden toys and other natural playthings are healthier choices, as well as toys made in the USA.

And, no matter how natural, non-toxic or organic something is, there are other safety features we must also heed. Here are some stats I just saw, reported by the US Consumer Product Safety Commission.

Toy-related deaths of U.S. children under the age of 15, by category, 1990-2005:
o Riding toys, scooters (78)
o Choking, asphyxiation: balloons (69); balls (47); toy or toy part (45); marbles (5)
o Toy chests (14)
o Strangulation (14)
o Other (20)

It comes down to smart choices, educated choices and balance. In the meantime, there’s the following government website on recalls:

www.recall.gov