One look at the list of the latest toy recalls (here) and you quickly come to realize that being a smart and informed consumer is not always protection enough from faulty manufacturers and improper designs. Get a group of parents talking about toys and there are bound to be some horror stories that quickly come to mind.

Remember the magnetic balls the toddler swallowed that clicked together in his intestines and he died? Those are still on the shelves in a variety of forms. We all remember the massive lead paint toy recall from toys made in China just over a year ago. The latest is the concerns about BPA (Bisphenol A), a chemical that hardens plastic, in not only the recalled baby bottles but a much wider array of our plastic products.

All of this begs the question; what can I do?
Really it is a judgment call of how you choose to live your life. Some of the things that we in our family try to do is reduce our over all consumption. Simply we don’t buy as much stuff. We try to stick to the tried and true toys that have been around for decades or better yet get the kids outside to play with each other and the world around them instead of toys. When you do choose to buy a toy look at it with perhaps an over critical eye and consider what the motivations were behind the inception, creation and deployment of this toy.

Pretty grand things to think about before buying a Dora play set. Still perhaps being a little more discerning will lead us on a path of a cleaner, greener, safer and more loving world.

For a really easy to view slideshow of the 2007-08 recalls check here.

Posted: 09|22|08 at 3:15 pm. Filed under: Parenting Corner, Adventures in Parenting.
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