Safe Alternatives for Baby and Child

“I’m writing about the challenge of finding safe toys for Christmas. Have you found it’s any easier to find safe toys, now that Congress passed the CPSC law? It doesn’t take effect until February, so I’m wondering if parents can shop with confidence, or if they still have to be careful, checking out each individual toy?”

Wow! These important questions such as these have been coming, and we are happy to address this perfect topic with all of our SafBaby readers.

Toys won’t be safer this Christmas than they were last Christmas, SafBaby believes. This new regulation (starting Feb. 10, 2009) doesn’t mean all toys, as midnight strikes, will suddenly be safe either. They will eventually be safer, but it is very important and wise to know what to look for in finding safer alternatives that are still playfully fun and appealing to our children.

Of course, as parents this topic is extremely important to us. In this article we will introduce to you the current toy safety standards, and address the new regulations too. Then, we will give you some simple tips to follow this season to make safe toy shopping easier for you. (You may want to share this one with Grandma and Grandpa.)

The Current ASTM Toy Safety Standards

Currently, complying with the ASTM standards for toy safety is a voluntary process here in the United States. Yep, VOLUNTARY!

Due to these poor mandatory standards, mass recalls have repeatedly been made (as we are all too well aware of).

Thanks to the NEW Consumer Product Safety Improvement Act that President Bush signed in August of 2008, (effective February 2009) toys sold in the United States, for children under the age of 12, MUST be tested to the ASTM International F963 toy safety standards. Making our standards (again, not until Feb. 2009) equivalent to those of Europe’s standards. European CE EN71 certification (similar to ASTM) has been mandatory for almost 20 years.

If you read Mothering Magazine’s article this month on toy safety, you may remember the alarming quote from Mark Schapiro. He had stated that manufactures in China currently have 2 different assembly lines for the same product. One of which is has higher safety standards then the other.

The line of toys which are the safest, gets shipped to over Europe. The other line (cheaper to produce, but more dangerous to our children) gets shipped over here to America. We think this is outrageous!

This legislation has been long overdue and is extremely important for long term health of our children, for generations to come!

Current ASTM Testing Procedures

Each toy is submitted to a specially certified lab where it is put through a rigorous series of tests to make sure it complies to the tested standard for that particular type of toy. Most standards include at least the following tests: mechanical hazards test, flammability tests, lead content tests, heavy metals analysis tests, and labeling and age grading requirements.

Currently, ASTM is not testing for phthalates. All levels pass!

The New CPSC Law on Toy Safety

“US Consumer Product Safety Improvement Act of 2008″ - This law will set higher standards by reducing toxins in our children’s toys. Great! Right? (Lets just say we aren’t getting overexcited yet.)

The new law prohibits lead, beyond minute levels, in products for children 12 or younger. Lead paint was a major factor in the recall of 45 million toys and children’s items last year, many from China. The bill also bans the allowance of phthalates greater than 0.1%, a plastic that is widely used to make plastic products softer and more flexible.

However, SafBaby does not believe that as of February, all of the old inventory will be taken off of shelves at the expensive of those holding onto this stock. So please don’t think that just because the law goes into effect then, that toy purchases are totally safe.

Keeping Toy Safety Simple

The amount of information we could spill out about this topic is, well, overwhelming. And, being parents ourselves, we know that is the last thing parents want: more overwhelming information on toy safety.

So, here are the basics! We believe if you can follow these basic tips this season, you will happily create a safe and wonderfully stimulating, non-toxic, playful environment for your children. This post is our gift to you, as we know it will be a gift that keeps giving!

Not All Wooden Toys Are Created Equal

1. Buy solid wooden toys. Plywood toys are often adhered together with toxic glues. If the toy is made from plywood, look for a label that states it is a formaldehyde-free product. Formaldehydes (found in most glues) in glues will pollute your child’s indoor air, increasing the risk for allergies and asthma.
2. Make sure the label states that all paints/stains are non-toxic. Water-based is best. Give it a sniff test. If it has a strong or undesirable smell, we recommend not buying it!
3. Non-toxic finishes are water based or finished with natural oils such as walnut oil, and beeswax. Unfinished, solid wooden toys are completely non-toxic.
4. Also, look for the FSC Certified Symbol stating that all wood has been harvested in an eco-friendly manner. If it’s not FSC certified, buy preservative-free rubberwood.

Beware of Plastic Toys

Honestly, there is one simple answer to plastic-toy-safety (especially for children under 3): if you buy plastic and it doesn’t clearly state that it’s free of PVC, phthalate and BPA - don’t buy it.

Also, after watching ‘The Story Of Stuff, we stay away from plastic as much as possible. Most toys are made of PVC, which is impossible to recycle and it releases dangerous chemicals such as dioxins when burned. Therefore, they need to be disposed of in hazardous waste land fills.

If you have to buy plastic, go for recycled plastic that is PVC-free! Also, plastic toys are made with petroleum, further increasing our dependence on foreign oil and leaves a greater carbon footprint than natural wooden toys.

Another option is to call the manufacturer and ask, but truly we feel this information should be on their packaging, readily available for all parents to see.

Fire Retardants in Polyurethane Foam and Filling Materials

Toxic fire retardant chemical are hiding everywhere, all around our children! They can escape from polyurethane foam and filling materials in many baby and child products.

These chemicals are doing more harm than good!

If you want to purchase a stuffed animal, activity gym, play pen, etc. for a child , please ask the sales staff or manufacturer’s customer service whether the product contains fire retardants. If he or she doesn’t know, don’t buy it. Sometimes this information is clearly stated on tags, sometimes not.

Stay Informed About Toy Recalls

Recalls.gov has archived recalls, and you can even sign up to receive emails of all new recalls. We are on this list and are surprised at the amount of recalls that go out weekly. Get signed up, with this resource available, there is absolutely no excuse to have recalled and dangerous toys at home!

SafBaby’s List of Recommended Safe Toys

We will continue to help parents find the safest and coolest toys available for this holiday season. Don’t miss our recommended Christmas Toys post which will follow this article real soon! Also, you won’t want to miss our list of PVC-free toy manufacturers coming soon.

We have compiled a great list of all the toy safety symbols (you know, those symbols you sometimes see on toy packaging but have no idea what they stand for), so please read our post “What Do All The Marks and Symbols On Toy Packages Mean?”.

That’s to good, safe FUN! Happy holidays!

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