Toy Safety

With Thanksgiving next week, I am reminded that we are hurtling toward December 25 (which seems impossible!). I know there is a lot of concern about toy safety these days, so I thought I'd pass along a site that I visit quite frequently.

HealthyToys.org is a project of the Ecology Center, a nonprofit based out of Michigan. The site tests all kinds of toys, gear, and mealtime necessities (bibs, plates, etc.) for different chemicals like lead and chlorine, then posts the results on their site; picking up the ball that our government agencies have dropped. You can search their database by toy type or brand, keep a personal list of toys, and vote on which toys they should test next.

They will be posting over a hundred new results on Dec 3, so this is a good time to surf over there and familiarize yourself with the site. I ended up throwing out a few of Squiggles's toys based on their findings, and I have an idea of what to look for when shopping for new toys - and putting together a Christmas wish list.