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Banned Toys for Sale: What to Watch Out For and What to Buy
Janelle Sorensen
Thursday, November 20, 2008
In August we celebrated as the President signed a law banning lead and several phthalates from toys and baby products. However, the law doesn’t go into effect until February 10th, 2009, giving toy makers and stores months to sell the soon-to-be-illegal products. The unintended consequence of this important ban? Retailers are flooding the market with the toxic toys, priced to sell, just in time for the swarms of Holiday shoppers.
Buyer Beware! Manufacturers and retailers will be selling these toys with no warnings at prices sure to lure the unassuming shopper. It’s sell it now or throw it away, so they have nothing to lose and everything to gain.
What's a parent to do?
- Most toys don't list their ingredients and oftentimes the retailer and manufacturer’s customer service reps don’t even know the chemical make-up of their products. So, it’s up to you to discern the safest options on the shelves. Use our Healthy Toy Pocket Shopping Guide to help you find the kid-friendliest toys. Print it now and keep it on you – you never know when you’ll have a spare moment to pick up a couple gifts.
- Reap the rewards of someone else’s research and shop online from the comfort of your own home. Use the following Green Guides to buy all your gifts (not just toys) virtually guilt-free.
- Polliwogged 2008 Gift Guide
- Green and Clean Mom’s 2008 Holiday Gift Guide
- TreeHugger Holiday Gift Guide 2008: Give Green to Save Green
- Co-op America Holiday Green Gift Catalog
- CNET’s Green Gift Guide of Gadgets and Electronics
- Etsy Handmade Environmentally-Friendly Gift Guide
- SustainLane Gift Guide
- Green Living Magazine’s Green Gift Guide
- Tiny Décor Gift Guide
- 2008 Eco Child’s Play Green, Eco-Friendly Toy Holiday Gift Guide
- SafeMama's 2008 Safer Toy Guide
- Make a wish list for your kids and share with others who may be purchasing gifts for them this season. Let them know that millions of toys have been recalled in the past year and that there are thousands still on the shelves that will be illegal come February. If they care for your child, they should understand your concern. Just be sure to include a wide variety of gift ideas in all price ranges, so they don’t feel obligated to spend more than they can afford. Also, make the list even greener by adding gifts that might be purchased second hand, or experiential gifts like theater tickets or museum passes.
Most of all, remember the true spirit of the season. If shopping is causing undue worry and stress, perhaps it’s time to start some new family traditions. Think outside the gift-box. Imagine a happier holiday. Enjoy.
Posted by Reith on 11/23 at 05:35 AM
My neighbor’s baby suffered some kind of disease, and when they consulted the doctor about it, the doctor said that the cause was from chemicals called phthalates. Maybe the baby got her sickness from the toy she always puts in her mouth…
Posted by Jennifer McNichols on 11/25 at 12:00 AM
Thanks for the mention!
Along with the Polliwogged Gift Guide of baby stuff, we just published one on its sister blog, Z Recommends, that’s chock-full of gift ideas for older kids. www.zrecommends.com/detail/the-2008-z-recommends-mostly-green-pretty-cheap-holiday-gift-guide
Posted by Dina Fuchs on 01/16 at 10:46 PM
Parents can make a difference. I recently discovered that a toy my son regularly teethes on (the spiral Whoozit by Manhattan Toy) contains dangerous levels of Bromine. I contacted the store where I purchased the toy as well as the manufacturer and was told they disputed the findings (from Healthytoys.org) and were not putting out any sort of warning, despite the fact that it’s highly likely their product is harmful to children. So, I took to the web and emailed everyone I could think of to urge them not to support companies like this one that don’t have our kids best interest at heart. I’ve since received many thankful responses from parents from all over the country. Never hesitate to be an advocate for your child!
Posted by Hand Me Downs on 01/21 at 05:46 AM
Hi,
That’s so disheartening. How can retailers even attempt to make money out of such banned toys? These are banned for a reason and the retailers should pay attention to it.
Thanks for sharing this information.
Posted by Shelving on 05/17 at 06:15 AM
Unbelievable, and thank-you for the most informative post. I have a 2 yr old boy, one day he developed a massive rash on his face. Amazingly it happened the same day we introduced new plastic toys. The doctor kept on saying it was due to food allergy, but he wasn’t fed anything new… These retailers should be jailed if proved they knowingly stocked their shelves with banned toys.
Posted by Nico on 07/19 at 08:21 AM
I’m a first-time parent and I am always paranoid about giving my baby any toys. It’s disgusting to know that retailers are even selling the banned toys and making profit out of it. Those kind of retailers are greedy, they only think of profit and not of our babies’ safety.
Anyway, thanks for the information. I enjoyed reading the Healthy Toy Pocket Shopping guide.
Posted by Kitchenaid artisan mixer on 09/02 at 10:28 AM
It is true that these days retailers are more willing to push low cost toys given the shape of the economy. But it is the responsibility of the parents that the toys which they buy for their kids are non toxic by specifically asking the retailer.
Posted by Charles on 11/20 at 06:05 AM
Its sad to hear, retailers are making profits by selling these banned toys. Parents cannot blindly buy these toxic toys. Most of the parents are unaware about this. Thanks for posting this information, it has been very helpful.
Charles