Safe Toys
Published by Judy on 05 Nov 2007 at 10:41 pm
Since the numerous recalls of toys made in China, we are understandably concerned that the toys we carry in our Boutique our safe. When my two boys were infants and toddlers, I stayed clear of plastic toys and preferred to buy wood or fabric toys for them. Not for safety reasons but simply because wood and fabric seemed warm, fuzzy and real.It didn’t occur to me that there was the potential for lead to be in the paint of the wooden toys they were playing with. I trusted that the manufacturers would have my children’s safety utmost in mind. Who knows if I was duped, too many years have passed to spend much time dwelling on that.I recently spoke with our rep from Melissa & Doug. Their toys are made in China and I was reluctant to place an order. Sarah, our rep, communicated that Melissa & Doug have always had an on-site full time employee at each of their factories whose sole responsibility is to confirm that their self-imposed safety standards are being followed. She also said that after the Thomas and Mattel recalls, all the toy manufacturing factories were closed and are not allowed to reopen until they comply with new regulations imposed by the government. Sometimes it’s difficult to figure out who you can trust but our history with Melissa & Doug tells me they are a trustworthy company who truly do put safety at the forefront of their business decisions. What do you think? Was I duped?
Melissa on 29 Dec 2007 at 10:27 am #
I don’t know if you were duped or not but I also had similar feelings about the Melissa and Doug products. I was relieved to see a statement of “safety and product regulations” on their products. It could be a false sense of safety but it did make me feel better.
After a “made in China” Christmas I’m not sure how to proceed at this point. My daughter is enjoying playing with toys I don’t feel comfortable having around. BUT the wooden toys, while they offer very attractive options, are pricy so I feel torn in that way too.