Buying Safe Toys for Kids

With the recent explosion of toy safety problems coming from China, Mexico, and our own toy industry's carelessness, it's understandable that parents are worried about the toys they are giving their children. Lead, in particular, is dangerous because of its health hazards and its prevalence as a product ingredient. But, as the recent Bindeez (known in the US and Canada as Aqua Dots and Aqua Beads) scare has shown, lead is not the only danger.

The problem is, our testing is so scant and haphazard that the only way parents know about the dangers of most products is after a child has been sickened or injured by a flawed toy. Sure, you can decide not to buy any toys made in China. But that cuts out nearly everything carried in Toys R Us and Wal-mart -- you're left shopping in specialty toy stores, and even then it can be hard to find items not farmed out to China.

Fortunately, there are a few things you can look for in even Chinese-made toys to help you avoid potential hazards.

What Toys Are Dangerous

1. Red Paint -- Lead in these toys is generally used as a paint fixative, keeping colors bright and attractive for children. Because of the dyes used, red paint is the most common color to include lead, though yellow is another common color. If you avoid toys painted or dyed red, or if you throw out the red parts, you significantly reduce your risk of exposure. Painted toys are the most likely source of lead poisoning from toys for children.

2. Solid-colored PVC - This is the other big source of lead in small children's toys. Polyethylene, polypropylene, polyester, and nylon are very unlikely to contain lead; PVC very often does. Avoiding vinyl toys will keep your child safe from the lead dangers of PVC.

3. All PVC - Unfortunately, though clear PVC does not contain lead, all PVCs contain another poison - phthalates. For this reason, avoiding even clear-colored PVC (found in unbreakable rattles, for instance, as well as in toy packaging) is a good idea. If you're in doubt, don't buy it, or consult the website of the company that made the toy.

4. Cheap metal jewelry - Whether they come from gumball machines or from Wal-mart, metal jewelry is often made entirely or mostly of lead. You can tell by bending a portion of it; if it bends easily, you're probably holding a chunk of lead. To avoid this problem, keep all this jewelry out of the hands of your children. Buy them real adult costume jewelry instead.

What Toys Are Safe

- Wooden toys coated in laquer, or that are completely unfinished and without paint
- Toys manufactured wholly in the United States
- Stuffed animals and plush toys

All other toys, from electronics to dolls, should be questioned, particularly if they fit into one of the four categories above.

You can also buy a lead-testing kit, which consists of a chemical and swab set. This is effective for toys with questionable parts you can easily swab, but not for those with hard-to-reach parts. These tests do yield false negatives, but only when the amount of lead present is there only in a trace quantity unlikely to endanger your children.

Turner Toys has dealt with this problem longer than any other toy company; there was a scandal several years ago when many of their Thomas the Tank Engine line toys turned up with lead paint. Their CEO recommends testing Chinese toys you already have that fit the four categories above, but not simply throwing out all your toys. For children younger than 12 months, though, even borderline toys should be discarded because the risks for these little ones is so much higher.