Q. There are so many toys being recalled these days. I can’t keep up! How can I be sure my children are safe?

You’re right. Many toys have been recalled in recent weeks. It’s difficult to know if you have missed any of the announcements when there are so many, so close together. Luckily, the US Consumer Product Safety Commission is lending a hand by providing a comprehensive list of recalled toys beginning with the most recent, but going as far back as the 1970s.

Visit cpsc.gov/cpscpub/prerel/ category/toy.html where you can read the publicity announcements, including clear details about each recall. Most helpful are the photographs of
the toys, allowing you to quickly identify the products affected by the recall, rather than wade through a long list of difficult-to-discern product names and numbers.

Once on the site, if you see a product you think you might own, check the model numbers and date of purchase to confirm. If the numbers match, follow the instructions given on the recall announcement. In most cases, consumers are urged to take the toys away from children immediately and call the toymaker—not the store—for either a refund or a voucher for a replacement toy.

According to Gladys Griffin, owner of Main Street Toy Shop, some Valley customers are reticent to buy toys from China, since so many recalled toys originated there, and are requesting toys made in other countries. She says that the majority of the toys in her shop and those in most any store are made in China. Even toys from American or German companies are most often made not in the United States or Germany, but in China where labor is substantially cheaper.

Supporting American workers by purchasing products labeled “Made in the USA” may be a positive result of this barrage of recalls, but if your child is desperate for the newest trendy toy that happens to be made in China, keep in mind that many of the recalls have been preemptive and no injuries have been reported. A large number of the toys were recalled for lead levels in paint, and while this is a serious health hazard and the toys should be removed from homes, owners of these toys have not reported any associated illnesses.

However, some of the recalls have resulted in serious injury and warrant a close inspection of future purchases. Toys with small magnets that can be swallowed, such as Polly Pocket toys and magnet building sets, have caused injuries requiring surgery for children as old as 8. Avoiding toys with small magnets that might come loose or building sets with small magnets would be prudent in homes with young children, recall or not.

Griffin recommends that consumers be cautious, but not go overboard, citing Thomas the Tank Engine as an example. The production of the recalled train, found to contain lead paint, was localized to only one factory out of several that produce that same toy. “Just one of those factories messed up,” Griffin said. “All the rest of them are fine.” Stores have removed the recalled toys from shelves and the remaining trains and accessories were unaffected by the recall.

Most of the recalls have involved products from Mattel, the largest American toy company, who has begun testing its own products for safety and voluntarily recalling faulty toys. But it is likely that additional recalls will be announced by Mattel and its competitors as Chinese factories come under intensified scrutiny.

As with all parenting decisions, the best we can do is to educate ourselves and use our best judgment to keep our children as safe and healthy as possible.

Source: Staff reports