How to buy toys without a lot of worry

Herb Weisbaum • Profile • E-mail

'Tis the season for toy giving. This year, however, is like no other. The fear of buying tainted toys is creating enormous anxiety for parents.

“It’s reasonable for parents to be concerned about what they’re bringing home for their kids,” says toy expert Stephanie Oppenheim. “This is not a normal toy season.”

So far this year, a record 23 million toys have been recalled. And the numbers keep growing. The U.S. Consumer Product Safety Commission has indicated there may be more dangerous toys pulled off the market before Christmas.

A poll done last month by Harris Interactive showed that about 33 percent of Americans say they will be buying fewer toys this holiday season due to safety concerns, and 45 percent said they will avoid buying toys made in China. Many readers of this column have e-mailed me to say the same thing.

But buying toys made in America isn’t easy – about 80 percent of the toys sold in this country come from China – plus there is no guarantee a toy made in the U.S. is safe. It could be assembled here with imported parts that contain lead or have small parts that could choke a child.

Marianne Szymanski, publisher of Toy Tips and Parenting Hints magazine says parents don’t need to panic, because most toys on the market are safe. Chinese factories will make about 8 billion toys for sale in America this year and only 2 percent of them, she says, have been recalled.

Even so, toy buyers need to be cautious. “It’s unfortunate that so many unsafe ones have slipped through onto our store shelves this year,” says Don Mays, senior director of Product Safety Planning at Consumers Union.  “Until they tighten up the safety net in this country, it’s a buyer beware situation.”

Dangerous jewelry Since 2003, nearly 170 million pieces of children's jewelry have been recalled by the Consumer Product Safety Commission because the items contain high levels of lead. Collectively, lead-laden jewelry has amounted to the largest product recall in CPSC history.  Most of the recalled jewelry involves necklaces, bracelets, earrings, rings and other baubles that were purchased in vending machines or in discount and dollar stores — places where recall notices are not generally seen. CPSC is developing rules that would effectively ban lead in jewelry. But until such rules are passed and enforced, Consumer Reports advises parents not to buy toy jewelry made of metal. If you do have toy jewelry, particularly if it appears metallic, check to see if it has been recalled. Consumer Reports has put together a photo gallery of the tainted items along with information on where they were sold. Source: Consumer Reports

Trouble in Toyland
Each November, the U.S. Public Interest Research Group releases its annual toy safety survey. For several years now, the news was good – toys were getting safer. Not this year. The 22nd annual “Trouble in Toyland” report lists 59 dangerous toys that do not meet U.S. standards. They have lead or other toxic chemicals, small magnets, or small parts that present a choking hazard.

“There is lead in cheap jewelry and plenty of it,” says Ed Mierzwinski, PIRG’s consumer program director. “There is lead in the paint, particularly the red or yellow paint of some cheap plastic toys. It’s also been found in lunch boxes and bibs made of vinyl.”

Toys with small magnets were responsible for more recalls this year than lead. Those 7 million Polly Pocket dolls and play sets recalled by Mattel in August had small magnets that could come loose.

These powerful magnets are especially dangerous. If they come off the toy and a toddler swallows two or more of them, they can attract each other and block or perforate the intestines. Two years ago, a toddler from the Seattle area died this way. The Consumer Product Safety Commission says at least 33 children have swallowed loose magnets and required emergency surgery.

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