p /p
p class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0in 0in 0pt"In previous posts we've talked about a few of the not-so-friendly companions that could be lurking in your childrsquo;s toy room. Okay, perhaps the mentionedi /itoys are a bit outdated; but how do you know their talking Elmo is as innocent as it seems? Or is Dora the Explorer really so sweet and friendly?/p
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p class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0in 0in 0pt"The a href="http://www.nickjr.com/shows/dora/index.jhtml"amicable bilingual gal/a may be intended for educational purposes, but children who own it may be getting more than just an education./p
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p class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0in 0in 0pt"They may learn first-hand the damaging health effects that can result from a href="http://www.cpsc.gov/cpscpub/prerel/prhtml07/07257.html"exposure to lead/a and they may develop an all-to-close friendship with the poison./p
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p class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0in 0in 0pt"Ooh ndash; now therersquo;s something parents like to think about: ldquo;I gave Anna this cute little dolly for her birthday, but I ireally /igave her so much more: I gave her a lead-covered companion that will stick with her for life, because even though the doll may not always be around, the damaging health effects that result from the toxin will be.rdquo;/p
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p class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0in 0in 0pt"Yup ndash; Irsquo;m sure thatrsquo;s exactly what every parent things./p
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p class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0in 0in 0pt"Alright, seriously though? The truth is the vast majority of parents idonrsquo;t /ithink when purchasing a toy for their children. At least not outside of whether or not the little one will like it./p
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p class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0in 0in 0pt"But the truth is, parents should think about safety ndash; in fact, nowadays, they ihave /ito think about safety./p
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p class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0in 0in 0pt"One thing that should be on parents minds when toy-shopping? Where was the product made? In a previous article, I pointed out this isnrsquo;t the sole factor affecting how safe a product is, but with all of the recent a href="http://www.nytimes.com/2007/06/19/business/worldbusiness/19toys.html"recalls concerning products made in China/a, it should be at the forefront./p
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p class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0in 0in 0pt"One way to up the safety factor of the toys for your tots? Purchase American-made products./p
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p class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0in 0in 0pt"With 80 percent of toys coming from Chinese-manufacturers, itrsquo;s no wonder the industry never really took flight in America. Recently, however, the scandals involving Chinese products has boosted the sale of a href="http://www.nytimes.com/2007/08/15/business/15toys.html?pagewanted=print"American-made toys/a. Many retailers have been willing to pay the higher cost as they were ensured such products would be lead-free./p
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p class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0in 0in 0pt"Another point to consider? Are the toys age-appropriate? a href="http://www.liveandlearn.com/safetoy.html"Age recommendations/a are placed on toys for a reason. Thatrsquo;s not to say your child isnrsquo;t smart enough to work the Tonka truck or that your child is inept when it comes to putting together a puzzle; these recommendations exist to warn parents of seemingly harmless products that pose a potential, unintentional danger to children under a certain age./p
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p class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0in 0in 0pt"For example, a href="http://www.hasbro.com/operation/default.cfm?page=Products/Detailamp;product_id=21204"Operation/a isnrsquo;t recommended for children under 6 years old because it has small parts that could cause a child to choke. Their not implying that your child iwould /ieat the plastic butterfly, but rather that it icould/i (somehow, someway) become lodged in their throat and cause them to suffocate./p
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p class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0in 0in 0pt"Oh, and strangling. a href="https://www.uspirg.org/uploads/He/tx/HetxSglnkweWIYEY35-w0A/tips-for-toy-safety-2008.pdf"Parents also need to be leery of toys/a with strings (for obvious reasons). Less obvious? Watch for toys with magnets. And noise. If a toy seems loud to you, itrsquo;s probably too loud for your child./p
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p class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0in 0in 0pt"Ooh ndash; and stay on top of the market; know which products are being recalled and why./p
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p class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0in 0in 0pt"Gosh, I feel like Irsquo;m taking all the fun out of toy shopping for the kidshellip;aah, well ndash; itrsquo;s a tough job, but someonersquo;s gotta do it./p
p /p
p /pa href="http://desmoines.injuryboard.com/miscellaneous/toy-safety-how-to-shop-smart.aspx?googleid=253346"Originally posted/a at a href="http://www.InjuryBoard.com"InjuryBoard/a by a href="http://www.injuryboard.com/member-profiles/Megan-Roth"Megan Roth/a
