http://www.msnbc.msn.com/id/21135286/


Most of the products in here I dd not recognize...UNTIL I scrolled down and saw the Baby Einstein blocks. We have an older version of them, but not these.

You have to be :censored: kidding me! This is getting crazy. I am worried becuase most of our toys are from garage sales, so they are older and don't fall under the recal.

I wonder if that really means that they are safe, or is it just that they are checking more now that things have come out.

We got some lead testing kits and are going to test a buch of our toys to see where we stand.

I have been looking into "safe" toys and I think between Sebastian's B-day and Christmas I am going to just start from scratch. It would be better for them to have less toys that are safe for them, then a bunch of toys fill with lead and who knows what else.

We are going to make a trip to Ikea. From what I have read they have very high standards for their toys. They have some really cute stuff too. Now I just have to find more places.

I agree with you 100%, Katey! I don't know if there is just increased awareness right now so they are checking more toys out, or if standards have just fallen and more toys are being made poorly.

There is a great Denver based store called Timbuk Toys. She only sells super high quality stuff, a lot from Europe too. Huge web site too... http://www.timbuktoys.com/timbuk/

The new One Step Ahead catalog had some great stuff too. I'm planning to check their "made in" labels too.

We had the old Baby E blocks, too, Miori...thanks for posting the new recall. I sold the old ones at my garage sale.

And this really IS getting ridiculous. Are we all just going to have to boycott China or what?!?!?!

Just before leaving for IN, I wrote an email and sent it to all our family/friends. We decided to chuck all of A & B's plastic toys and all toys manufactured in China and/or by Mattel, FP, etc. We have always been a bit worried about plastic toys because they can leach dangerous chemicals that are bioaccumulative; however, the latest drama with lead solidified our decision. These are just the toys that are being tested now--who knows what's in the toys that were manufactured a few years ago. Also, the home test kits are not always reliable, especially with small samples of paint/plastic and if a toy is painted with several colors, you have to test each color paint. :-(

Anyway, we're going with toys made by Ikea, Sevi, Haba and/or Melissa and Doug. Some of the M&D toys are made in China; however, they have very strict standards for materials and only use water-based stains/paints and they have their own QC in addition to government testing.

I went to Amazon.com and found many "safe" items by the m'facturers listed above and sent the wish list out to make it easier to buy toys this Christmas. Also, Gummylump.com, Hazelnutkids.com and Oopma toys are great places to find European toys.

Whew--this was quite a novel! :oops:

All this makes me so glad we have bought absolutely nothing for Catherine except for the Gobble-n-Go Hippo almost two years ago and a Radio Flyer tricycle (made in Ohio -- I checked before we bought it). I'm totally serious. The few toys she has were Trey's, so they're a good 9-11 years old. And he really didn't have much either. Sports equipment, books and art supplies have always been the favored "toys" at our house.

Anyone know if it is still safe to let the kids play with the boxes?! :angry7:

LOL, Leigh! Lesley, I think you may have the right idea on this one. Ava is big into soccer right now...we just bought her some cones, a new ball, and we need a net now...she's obsessed w/ the full size one my mom's neighbors have.

Thanks for the good ideas, Mary! We have a lot of the M and D stuff...their stuff is really cute!

LOL, Leigh! Lesley, I think you may have the right idea on this one. Ava is big into soccer right now...we just bought her some cones, a new ball, and we need a net now...she's obsessed w/ the full size one my mom's neighbors have.

Catherine loves all things athletic. Tennis is the one thing she'll watch on TV for any length of time, and she's always dragging Trey's equipment out of the garage. It's hilarious to watch her try to drag his lacrosse stick, that's almost 2 feet longer than she is, across the grass. She is such a daredevil! And all tomboy ... dressed in pink! She loves to dance, too, and I'm going to put her in ballet at school (assuming she gets in :sad3: ) She must have seen ballet somewhere because I catch her practicing her "bar work" holding on to the coffee table. She actually looks like she knows what she's doing, lol.

Too cute about the bar work! Ava's more of a "funk" kinda gal...LoL, she seems to have adapted her dancing style from George Clinton!

Yup, we have those blocks too, of course I cut all the tags off but I bought those ages ago, it's been at least a year.

Yikes, this is really scary. And unfortunately I can't afford an overhaul of my kids toys. I just am going to stay alert to these recalls. We will be giving a lot of toys away after Christmas and their b-day this year, I have decided when new toys come in on Christmas and their b-days, an equal number of old toys are going out. With the boys getting older we have been moving more onto cars/trucks/wooden puzzles/books and stuff. They have a few wooden toys from One Step Ahead and Parents.

Pretty scary.

We will be giving a lot of toys away after Christmas and their b-day this year, I have decided when new toys come in on Christmas and their b-days, an equal number of old toys are going out.

My mom always did that with me and my sister. If we wanted a new doll, we had to select an old one to give away. She taught first grade so we were "donating" to her classroom, but the message to us was still the same. This practice cuts down on the clutter in the house and teaches generosity on a level that even young kids can understand. I have not implemented the practice with my own children as, seriously, they don't have much stuff. Gift-giving events are pretty minimalist at our house.

I've really tried to do the out with the old, in with the new thing here...what doesn't go to charity will go to my classroom, especially books. BUT, LOL, you can't really in good conscience donate lead-laden toys to charity, can you?

I think I'm going to stick to good old "Made in the USA" stuff, toys in the links Mary put up, and art supplies and sports stuff...thanks to Lesley for the good idea!

With the boys getting older we have been moving more onto cars/trucks/wooden puzzles/books and stuff. They have a few wooden toys from One Step Ahead and Parents.

Just what out for the wooden toys too. Unless they have strict standards like Melissa & Doug's, they may not be much better. Remember that HUGE Thomas the Train recall? Those were ALL wooden toys. :(

I was coming here to post about the Baby Einstein blocks. There are a TON of recalled toys right now, wooden, plush, AND plastic. It's unreal. :sad3: The bad thing is, I was going to sell the Baby E blocks in a yard sale yesterday and couldn't find one of them...so I didn't. I just checked though and it says mine wasn't in the recalled lot.