Monday, December 8, 2008

Safe Holiday Toys

FROM CNN: 

Last year at this time, American consumers were grappling with a massive toy recall following safety concerns. Today, we're looking at the  benefits of buying green toys. Now that's not from china? Neddie Bishop has a dilemma. She's shopping for a toy for her one year old nephew. She wants one made with safe, environmentally friendly materials-- but that's not too expensive. "See, $65, wow." Pediatrician Alan Greene, author of Raising Baby Green has some advice about what to look for. 

Choose natural toys and those things might be toys made out of solid wood, especially if it's not finished and has a non-toxic finish.  Greene says he worries about toxins that may be found in certain plastic toys. The phthalates that are plasticizers that make things soft, especially things that are made out of vinyl or PVC, and BPA that's used as a hardening agent in some things. 

Some parents aren't taking any chances. "I will pay more to ensure that my daughter is not playing with something that contains harmful plastics or lead in the paint. " That means doing some homework on which manufacturers use safe materials and reading labels, even if they're on the bottom of the box. 

I do pay attention to what I am buying for my kids, but my five-year-old has a list for Santa. So, I am checking to see if the things he wants are okay instead of the other way around. My little one just wants Thomas everything, so I just check and make sure it isn't one that has been recalled.

-NewsAnchorMom Jen

Methodist Medical Center's new online healthcare program, MyMethodist eHealth, is a proud sponsor of this blog post. MyMethodist eHealth is the secure link to your doctor's office that lets you request appointments, order prescription refills, update your personal health record, and more. Sign up for MyMethodist eHealth here.

2 comments:

Toyologist said...

I love your blog. I have never seen you newscast as I live in Ohio, but your blog is great. It is hard to find toys that are safe. I am lucky enough that my son is only two this year so he does not have a list yet, so I can pick out what I want for him. I was so worried about it last year that I decided to only buy him American Made toys and when I started looking I could not find much. When I did find them I had to shop a lot of different sites. Shipping is expensive so splitting it up between stores made it worse. What I wanted was a one-stop shop that only sold American made and European made toys for kids of all ages. So I created one, www.GiggleFliggle.com. If you are still looking for ideas for this season check us out.

Toyologist said...

This is a great blog. It is hard to find toys that are safe. I am lucky enough that my son is only two this year so he does not have a list yet, so I can pick out what I want for him. I was so worried about it last year that I decided to only buy him American Made toys and when I started looking I could not find much. When I did find them I had to shop a lot of different sites. Shipping is expensive so splitting it up between stores made it worse. What I wanted was a one-stop shop that only sold American made and European made toys for kids of all ages. So I created one, www.GiggleFliggle.com. If you are still looking for ideas for this season check us out.

 
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