Trouble in Toyland: Learn About Toxic Children's Toys

There is trouble in Toyland with the continued rumors or toxic toys on the market it is important that you know which children's toys to steer clear of while you get your shopping done. Here are some important facts about toxic kid's toys, including those known to contain lead and those with extreme choking hazards, to watch out for on your next trip to the store.

Currently we all know that lead is hazardous to our house and should never been in a children's toy, what you may know is that this can actually be legal at times. In February of '09, in fact, it was allowed as long as the lead did not exceed 600 parts per million, or PPM. This is gradually phasing down but 300 PPM is still allowable. It is important, especially with metal toys, that you make sure there is no lead in them as children often end up putting toys in their mouths, this is especially true for those under 12 years of age.

Choking hazards are also something that you should be very worried about. Currently the standards are quite effective but it is still up to you to read the government mandated safety label to insure that you are sticking to these guidelines and not purchasing a toy that could pose a choking hazard to your child. Especially important here is to stay away from balloons as they are the worst offender. Approximately 40% of all child choking fatalities that were reported to the body overseeing toy safety regulations in the last 20 years came from balloons; they should never be given to a child under 3 years of age. Another thing that is important to realize here is that manufactures often skirt these regulations. In order to free up more room for colorful advertising, as opposed to warning labels, many companies will slightly increase the size of parts which failed the government mandated size test in order to omit this warning label entirely. There are even instances in which watchdog groups have found toys at major retailers which had obviously not been inspected as they flat failed the required size test. As far as choking hazards are concerned it is crucial that you use sound judgment, don't just go by those warning labels or age recommendations.

Take what you have learned here and apply it to your next shopping trip in order to keep that special child safe from toxic children's toys and avert trouble in Toyland.