Community Corner
Your Non-Toxic Toy Guide: 10 Safe Gifts for Toddlers
Finding that perfect gift for your toddler means striking a balance between fun and safety.
My 18-month-old has been pretty bored with his old toys lately. Gone are the days of rattles and song-playing dolls and on we go to toys like train sets, shape sorters and blocks (which he's taken to throwing at me.)
While motherhood automatically means a certain level of concern regarding what your kid's toys are made of, it seems like the standards become a bit more lax when it comes to toddler toys.
Baby toys like teethers and plastic books are constantly tooted as BPA-free but toddler toys—cars, trains, plastic dolls and the like—often include metal parts and are coated in brightly-colored paints that aren't typically used on baby toys.
The paints used on toys can contain lead, and while a certain level of lead is considered safe, I'd prefer my son's toys not to contain any lead at all. The metal parts of toys like cars and trucks can also contain toxic elements like cadmium and tin.
At the onset of each holiday season, the New York Public Interest Research Group (NYPIRG) releases an Annual Survey of Toy Safety. In it's 25th year, this year's report, entitled "Trouble in Playland" outlines information on toys sold in New York that contain toxic chemicals.
The report notes that and that are basically impossible to avoid.
"Chemicals have become such a close part of our lives that scientists can find more than 100 industrial chemicals and pollutants in the bodies of every mother and child," says NYPIRG.
While I don't think it's possible to completely deter our kids from playing with toys that may contain toxic chemicals like lead and phalates, it's a good idea for parents to be educated on these topics so we can make better purchasing choices and reduce their exposure to toxins as much as possible.
In the green parenting world, there's currently a petition going around that urges Toys 'R' Us to make good on its promises to reduce its use of PVC (polyvinyl cholide) in its toys and packaging materials. The petition notes that PVC exposure has been linked to developmental problems, chronic diseases, obesity and cancer.
Healthystuff.org recently tested 200 popular children's toys and found that while lead levels in toys is on the decline, 78 percent of kids' products contain PVC.
Their website offers consumers a list of more than 8,000 products that were tested for the most common toxic chemicals in toys, including lead, cadmium, chlorine, arsenic, bromine, mercury and tin.
You can check if the toys currently in your home have high levels of these chemicals. If they do, what better time to switch them out for some newly purchased, totally non-toxic toys?
Here are 10 toddler toys I've come across online that are sure to brighten your little one's holiday (and make you feel good too!):
1. Green Toys Tea Set
Find out what's happening in Yorktown-Somersfor free with the latest updates from Patch.
$24.95 on PlanetHappyToys.com
Tea set is made from 100 percent recycled milk jugs. Non-toxic and free of lead, cadmium and PVC. For ages three and up.
Find out what's happening in Yorktown-Somersfor free with the latest updates from Patch.
2. Max's Mud Organic Sculpting Dough Set of 8 Colors
$30.00 on EdenHome.com
Vegan, non-toxic dough is also free of gluten, soy and corn for children with allergies. For ages three and up.
$68 on OrganicBug.com
Board is made from sustainably-sourced birch plywood. For ages three and up.
$21.95 on SataraBaby.com
Xylophone is made from sustainable rubberwood, compiled with non-formaldehyde glue and painted with non-toxic water-based dyes. Suitable for ages one and up.
$21.95 from KatesCaringGifts.com
Fire truck made from 100 percent recycled plastic. Free of BPA, phalates and PVC. Ages one and up.
6. Holgate Toys Rocky Color Cone
$18.00 on BitsyBirdie.com
Made in the U.S. using natural hardwoods and non-toxic paints. Ages three and up.
7. Stockmar Beeswax Stick Crayons
$12.49 on ThreeSistersToys.com
Eight crayons made of non-toxic dyes and beeswax. For ages two and up.
$24.95 on TreesandTots.com
Shape sorter bench is made from unfinished maple wood. For each wooden toy purchased, TreesandTots will plant a tree. For ages two and up.
$19.99 on EcoToys.com
Hammer Peg set made from organic rubberwood. For ages two and up.
$22.95 on PeaceToys.com
Non-toxic soft Earth ball helps kids learn geography. Ages 1 and up.
