Lead Paint and Magnets - Product Recalls and Your Child

By now I'm sure everyone has heard the news regarding a large, well-regarded toy manufacturer that is recalling MILLIONS of toys for safety issues, including hazardous lead paint and dangerous magnets. You probably have at least one of the recalled items somewhere in your toybox, closet, or that pile of junk under the kid's beds. The toy manufacturer VOLUNTARILY recalled these items, receiving enormous media attention and accolades from the public for "doing the right thing."

The scary part of all this to me, and probably other brainy moms out there, is that it leaves me in fear of all those other toys. The ones from other big manufacturers that have been tasted, chewed on, licked, bitten, and snuggled. How thoroughly were those tested? Or were they even tested at all? AND, what about those other "little things"?

You know what I'm talking about, those things that are all over the place, seemingly appearing out of nowhere and multiplying quicker than roaches in a peanut butter factory (ugh, peanut butter recalls--another story entirely!) Yes, the ubiquitous toys that come with the kiddie meals at fast food restaurants, out of vending machines in our favorite stores and of course the lovely items from your local dollar store. I don't know about you, but our house is full of these little lovelies. What goes back to China in all the empty shipping containers? Maybe we could send some of the junk back to them?

Here's your brainy mom task for today--go to the Consumer Product Safety Commision's Toy Hazard Recalls and just look how many items you have. Last time I checked, I had 3 items on the list. One item, a toy telephone, had an urgent recall that said simply to discard the toy and contact the company for a replacement. No questions asked or proof of ownership required. The new toy telephone arrived in about 2 weeks. No explanation for the recall or description of the potential injuries involved. Leaving me wondering WHAT is going on? What if I had not seen the recall? It really makes you stop and think now, doesn't it?