12 Tips for Non-Toxic Toys

More than 25 million toys have been recalled this year, many of them due to lead paint.

Obstacles to Toy’s Safety

• 80% of toys are made in China with millions of toys arriving in cargo ships.

• There are only 15 inspectors at ports nationwide that are responsible for over 15,000 products safety.

• One sneaky thing factories sometimes do is replace unsafe cheaper materials such as lead paint in place of previously agreed upon specifications.

• Manufacturers may or may not test toys after they are directly distributed to them.

• Few recalled products are actually returned and many don’t know how to go about checking government websites or comparing their items to a list.

Consumer Reports has put together twelve tips for buying safe toys this holiday season.

1. Do not buy metal jewelry - especially cheap metal jewelry - for young children. About 20 percent of children's metal jewelry has high levels of lead lurking beneath the surface coating. A child who mouths or accidentally swallows a piece of lead-laden jewelry can suffer lead poisoning.

2. You can test toys for lead by using a home lead test kit. Although they may be limited in their use, a positive test result indicates a high likelihood that the product you're testing has lead. Consumer Reports recommends the Lead Check and the Lead Inspector, which performed best in our tests.

3. Be careful of toys with magnets. Many toys have small magnets that can fall out and, if swallowed, can cause serious health problems that are hard to diagnose. Don't buy toys with magnetic parts that are small enough to be swallowed.

4. If you find loose, small magnets anywhere around the house, track down the source. Immediately take the product and any of its other magnetic components away from your child and contact the manufacturer and the Consumer Product Safety Commission.

5. Avoid no-name products and be careful of toys purchased at dollar stores, street fairs, vending machines, thrift stores, or yard sales.

6. Stay away from permanent paints and markers when purchasing arts and crafts materials. Look for water-based paints and glues. For a child under three years old, purchase age-appropriate material that your child can't swallow.

7. Look for the age grading on toy packages and purchase only age-appropriate toys for your child. The age grading not only relates to play value but also to safety.

8. Use common sense; some toys may be inappropriate for your toddlers and babies. Toys labeled for children 3 and over may have small parts that can be a choking hazard for children under 3 years old. If you have children under 3 don't buy a toy with this warning label.

9. Do your own safety check to determine if your child's toys are choking hazards for young children. If his or her toy fits through a toilet-paper tube, it is a potential choking hazard. The government-approved test for choking hazards is done with a smaller tube. The more stringent toilet-paper tube test helps you keep questionable toys out of your child's hands and mouth.

10. Beware of toys that can be broken into smaller pieces such as chalk, crayons, or caps from markers. They can pose choking hazards to toddlers and babies.

11. Use caution when children play with small balls, tricycles, and balloons. These three products are the leading causes of death attributed to toys. Balls less than 1-3/4 inches in diameter can pose a choking hazard to young children. Balloons were associated with more than 110 deaths since 1973. Children can suffocate while trying to blow up a balloon or while chewing on or sucking a balloon.

12. Before you shop, check recent toy recalls at Not in My Cart or Recalls.gov. You can also sign up for recall notifications at CPSC.gov or Recalls.gov.

To sign up for the "12 Days of Safe Shopping" campaign and get a safe shoppers coupon book, visit NotInMyCart.org.

Source: Washington, Nov. 16 /PRNewswire & Consumers Union

Related: Lead in Lipstick: New Product Tests Show Dangerous Levels of Lead in Lipsticks

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