Strollerderby : toy recalls

My Uterus Has Recalled!

SunnyChanel — Wed, 07 Jan 2009 20:30:00 GMT

My uterus has been recalled! Well that is if I actually owned one of the plush uteruses by I Heart Guts, my own uterus is, thankfully, safe and sound. The toy company recently had some 'female trouble' with one of their popular products, their pink stuffed uterus. They recently issued a voluntary recall due to the plush toy failing child toy safety standard tests. They said that “basically, if you pull too hard on the fallopian tubes, the ovary pops off, creating a potential choking hazard for small children.” And really, the last thing you want to have happen in your household if having one of your young children choking on a random loose ovary. The good news is that all the other I Heart Guts products have met the U.S. and the European safety standards, so although your child can’t play with your uterus, they can play with your liver, kidney or pancreas.

Safer Toys Holiday Shopping Guide

Alisyn — Sat, 17 Nov 2007 20:03:00 GMT

Recall Fever has made 2007 a scary one. And with the hoilday season heading barreling towards us like a runaway train, millions of parents, myself included, find themselves in the precarious positioin of trying to balance holiday gift giving - and receiving - with toy safety, something we've never really had to think about in previous years. Not an easy feat when you consider the fact that the U.S. Consumer Product Safety Commission (CPSC) has recalled more than 70 brands of toys for a total of more than 25 million products. It's enough to make your head spin like an imported, lead-painted top.

What are we going to do? First thing's first: keep up to date with which toys are being recalled at the Consumer Product Safety Commission Page. Be firm with well-meaning friends and family about which safe toys, and toy alternatives, they can buy for your little ones. It may feel a little weird to pass out lists of pre-approved holiday gift ideas, but what else can we do? At this point it's all about our kids' safety, and using our consumer power for good instead of evil.

Cool Mom Picks Safer Toy Guide 200 7 is a great site to visit for safer toy suggestions. The Not Quite Crunchy Parent came up with some excellent toy alternatives. The People's Media Company has taken this years top toy trends and united them with cheaper (or free!) alternatives.

Shopping for kiddie gifts this year will require a little more diligence than we're used to, but it can be done. That being said, though, there's never been a stronger arguement for a back-to-basics, gift-free or homemade-gifts-only holiday season... it sure would get the message across that we, as parents, are mad as hell about the incredibly dangerous "toys" being marketed to our kids, and that we aren't going to take it anymore.

CPSC Says Home Lead Tests May Not Be Accurate for Toys

Karen Murphy — Sun, 09 Sep 2007 12:22:00 GMT

Understandably, sales of home lead tests have increased lately, with concerned parents looking to test the contents of the toy-box rather than rely on the continuous parade of recalls that's been alternating from trickle to deluge to trickle again. But the Consumers Product Safety Commission (CPSC) is dubious about the results of these home tests.

According to a report published on the CPSC site, these tests can result in false positives or false negatives, making the results rather inconclusive. The CPSC concludes that the only truly effective testing method is via an approved laboratory, stating, in part, "Laboratory testing by a qualified laboratory using proper techniques and interpretation of the results by qualified toxicologists is the only way to accurately assess the potential risk posed by a consumer product that may contain lead."

Have a look at the CPSC's Evaluation of Consumer Products for Lead report, just published. If you'd still like to test for lead at home, here's a wrap-up of some lead testing kits that are available.

Though you can always have that pushy next-door kid go around and lick everything. That might work.

http://www.cpsc.gov/businfo/leadguide.html

http://online.wsj.com/article/SB118843139888012856.html?mod=googlenews_wsj

Down with Lead: Parents and Toy Manufacturers React to Latest Recalls

ChagHolland — Mon, 13 Aug 2007 17:30:00 GMT

With the recent recalls of certain Chinese-made Dora, Elmo, and Thomas the Tank Engine toys, parents are afraid to walk down the toy aisle of their local department store. To many, "Made In China" has become synonymous with "May Contain Lead." And with over eighty percent of the toys sold in the United States coming from China, the remaining twenty percent are looking for a way to cash in on the hysteria.

Some parents are boycotting toys made in China while others are signing petitions calling for mandatory testing of toys. Because of this, American toy manufacturers K'Nex and Little Tykes are planning on stressing their nationality in upcoming advertisements. Maybe "Made In America" will have meaning once again?

But aside from creating your children's toys, there is no true assurance that the toys your children play with are actually safe and lead-free.

With the holiday orders already placed, most retailers' hands are tied. Most toys on the shelves this holiday season will still be from China. This Christmas, it looks like Santa Claus will be bringing the naughty kids toys from China instead of lumps of coal.

Tired of Toy Recalls? Sign a Petition!

Karen Murphy — Sun, 05 Aug 2007 19:04:00 GMT

By now you know about the latest in a wave of toy recalls, one of which surely has affected you and your kids. There's a growing concern combined with a certain helplessness over the situation. What can we as consumers do?

Aside from making all of our own toys what can we do? One thing would be to sign this petition by MomsRising.org. MomsRising is an activist organization interested in establishing and protecting the rights of U.S. families. They've been involved in wage discrimination and breastfeeding issues, which may or may not push your buttons, but toys? I think that's something we can all relate to.

So sign this petition and pass the link along to friends and family, and hopefully you'll then be a little piece of some eventual great changes that will help protect our kids.

Things Fall Apart: The Orvis Company's Sleeping Bag Toys

ChagHolland — Sun, 05 Aug 2007 17:24:00 GMT

In what should come as a surprise to no one, another item manufactured in China has been recalled. This time, the offenders are The Orvis Company's sleeping bag toys.

The recalled items are actually stuffed toys that accompanied two different sleeping bags the company sold from its website and mail-order catalog between September and December of 2006. The company sold a unicorn sleeping bag which came with a stuffed fairy and a horse sleeping bag which came with a horse pillow. The nose of the stuffed fairy and eyes of the horse pillow are considered choking hazards.

If you have any questions, you can call The Orvis Company at (866) 531-6199 or visit their website.