Today I read another news article about a toy recall. Yes, they were sold at a chain store. Yes, they were made in China. And yes, it was because of lead.
This time it was watering cans that were sold nationwide at Jo-Ann Stores.
Surprisingly we had none of the toys, I think this is probably due to my hatred of plastic toys. If they ever find something harmful in non toxic wooden toys I will be in trouble.
Link to Mattel recall of more than NINE MILLION TOYS. Holy cow that is a lot of toys! I should note here that many of the toys are being recalled due to improperly adhered magnets.
And here is another Mattel link. This time for the Fisher Price toys that were affected by the recall. Maybe everyone else in the world already knew that Mattel was the parent company of Fisher Price, but I had no idea.
But what it does bring to the forefront of my mind is the idea of being mindful with purchases. Asking yourself if your child really needs that cheap, poorly made, plastic toy. You know the ones that your children HAVE to have in the store. The ones that entertain them until your arrival home. And once home the toy finds it’s way to the back of the toy box or closet never to be seen again.
When toys are inexpensive we tend to think of them as being disposable, which really is bad for our environment on so many levels. Perhaps the easiest step we can all take towards becoming more green is to never bring the things into our homes to begin with. To skip the plastic bags. To skip the products that have lots of extraneous packaging. To leave the cheap plastic toys on the store shelves.
I have been pretty good about this sort of thing for years now. With many children the clutter can add up quickly, and I hate clutter.
My new resolve is to try and buy products that are not made in China. To look more carefully at the items I am bringing into my home. To strive for non toxic wood, hand crafted, not mass produced. Toys that don’t do things, but rather inspire the sort of play that requires children to be the doers. They may cost more, but I would rather have less of quality items, than more, well, potentially poisonous ones.
I am already keeping my eye out for Christmas.
Amen!
My six year old has started noticing the “Made In” labels lately and wonders why so many things are “Made in China.” Good luck with that journey! (Have you read A Year Without “Made in China”: One Family’s True Life Adventure in the Global Economy?)
Another reason to leave the “disposable” plastic toys on the shelf: I just learned that plastic can only be recycled once. Zoikes.
Comment by mel — August 28, 2007 @ 10:43 pm
I have not read that book. But I am adding it to my amazon list right NOW.
Comment by Chris — August 29, 2007 @ 12:30 am
The point about plastic hit home to us the other day when we realized that the plastic bottle that water comes in is used for a matter of minutes (if that) but will stay around the planet for hundreds of years. Then yesterday, a friend of mine pointed out all the water that gets trapped in those bottles when they aren’t finished but thrown away with the caps on.
I went through that list of recalled toys and thankfully we didn’t have any. Finally, being the stingy mom pays off.
Comment by Laundry & Children — August 29, 2007 @ 10:23 am
Have you seen Rosie Hippo’s catalog? You can find them online at http://rosiehippo.com/
The toys are wood, sort of a Waldorf-y type, not made in China but many (if not all) made in the States. They also have some nice art supplies for the younger set. They’re out of Port Townsend, WA, which is a hippie mecca, and you’ll get a sense of that when you go through their book lists.
Comment by Tamatha — August 29, 2007 @ 12:05 pm
I know what you mean about less cheap, plastic toys. Now if we can only get the grandparents to go along with that!
Comment by Stephanie Chance — August 29, 2007 @ 12:49 pm
I’ve actually been on the no toys from China kick since my neices and newphews were babies (ages 25 – 10 now). I’ve made lots of dolls and home made tee shirts. I’ve bought toys from craft fairs, golf clubs and other sports equipment for them.
I will buy from Mexico when I can. I’ve recently noticed a trend at Walmart the same socks and undies are being made at different places so I look for Mexico if at all possible.
It’s not Mexico’s quality that I’m after as much as opportunity for their people who are right across the border from us.
It takes considerable work to go “no China”!
Comment by Lulu — September 1, 2007 @ 1:49 pm