Wednesday, December 5, 2007

Safe Toys for Christmas

I have recently been doing a little research on some of the toys and electronics my children are interested in receiving for Christmas. Let me tell you, what I have learned is that researching for information and searching for safe toys feels like an impossible task. My biggest problem is that my children are older. They range in age from 15 to 6. They still want toys and games for Christmas, but all the information out there is for infant and toddler toys. Are older children immune to the effects of lead, arsenic, and all the other heinous chemicals the Chinese are trying to poison us with? My youngest daughter wants a dollhouse. I have been hardpressed to find anything that has proof that the wooden ones don't have lead based paint and that the plastic ones are safe. My eight year old wants some Hannah Montana stuff--also a concern. My older ones want games and electronics, but who is to say that they are safe? I decided earlier this year that I would try not to purchase anything with a "made in China" stamp on it. It seems that everything is made in China or has parts that are made in China. It has been an impossible goal to set for myself. The other thing that is frustrating is that American made toys are few and very limited in scope. Not only are American toys hard to find, they are also terribly expensive! So, what am I to do? I don't have a solution yet, but if I come up with one, I'll let you know~

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