November 25th, 2008 · 3 Comments

“It’s actually better to live without a bunch of stuff around anyway,” says Austin, Texas, mother Christy Morrison, who has two toddlers under age 4. “My husband and I don’t have extra ’stuff’, and to think our kids need all of these toys. They don’t. When I was growing up, we lived a lot simpler. We didn’t have a gazillion toys, and we were just fine.”

Being broke (or worrying that you soon will be) also is an excuse to buy your children old-fashioned wholesome products like paint-it-yourself wooden trains, or even good ole standards like Legos or Lincoln Logs.

And if it’s green you want, you don’t have to pay an arm and a leg. There’s a whole range of affordable, quality-minded, eco-friendly options on such sites like Green Toys, Fat Brain Toys, Back to Basics Toys and the Rainforest Site Store, where purchases of eco-clothing and jewelry help preserve rainforests around the world.

What teen-age daughter doesn’t like hip, earth-friendly clothes? Long tops with gathered bust lines are “in,” and for only $22, the Rainforest Site Store has 100 percent organic cotton spiffed up T’s, with a gathered scoop neck, frill-trimmed sleeves and a hem that hits at the hip. They’re designed by Global Girlfriend and produced in India by a cooperative of Franciscan nuns, and their purchase helps the nuns employ and care for 120 women from the region of Tamil Nadu.

What parent wouldn’t like to buy a tea set made in America of recycled milk cartons, thus supporting both American workers and contributing to waste reduction? Green Toys offer just such an item, an award-winning tea set perfect for your little server.

So, there’s no shortage of green and socially responsible possibilities out there.

But the fact is, many parents still like to go into big-box retailers like ToysRUs or Target or Wal-Mart to “see” that they’re getting something safe, and to shop for toys that their kids have seen. <!–nextpage–>

Patty Davis of the U.S. Consumer Protection Safety Commission (CPSC) in Washington, D.C., says they can rest easier this season, due to increased inspection, following last year’s spate of recalls.

“The toys now for sale, that are on store shelves now, have gone through more intense scrutiny and testing than in past years, and parents should feel reassured by that,” Davis says. “The CPSC is vigorously inspecting toys made here in the US, as well as toys that are made abroad. We have, since last year, put in place inspectors at the ports and we’re using X-Ray Fluorescence (XRF) at the ports and also at our laboratories. At the ports, we can get a quick read if a toy has lead or doesn’t. It’s a great screening tool, and we’ve been looking hard and finding less. That’s evidence that toys are safer than ever before.”

In 2007, the CPSC recalled more than 11 million toys with lead paint on them, while through November in 2008, it has recalled 4.6 million with lead. (Numerous studies have linked ingestion or absorption of lead with cognitive and behavioral problems in children.)

The decline in toys identified with lead this year “was not for a lack of looking,” Davis says.

Still, there’s no doubt that economic hardship drives people to seek out bargains, and that can be a trap.

Don Mays, senior director of product safety and technical policy for the Consumers Union in Yonkers, N.Y., says buying on the cheap may save you money while endangering your kids.

“The fact that the economy is in such dire straits does force some people into some options which may not be the best options – for example, buying at dollar stores and consignment stores, in which case you’re taking your chances and are more likely to get unsafe products and toys. This year, there’s more buyer-beware. The other thing is people may be buying used items from Craig’s List or eBay and they will buy what appears to be a quality product. There was a bassinet recently where two children died from bad designs, and yet those things were all over eBay and Craig’s List. Just be sure to check the government’s website for recalls before you buy anything.”

Better still, go for creative or even do-it-yourself items –- things like puppet-making kits, non-toxic paint sets, children’s science and learning kits. The vast majority of these types of toys are safe. But be cognizant of any mystery compounds a kit may contain. The 2007 holiday season brought a fingerprinting kit with that reportedly contained asbestos in the printing dust. The kit was pulled from the market, but a watch group later filed suit over the debacle.

Or give your child something you’ve made yourself – a hand-sewn “apron,” a funky felt hat or personalized accessories with an embroidered or iron-on image of your little one’s favorite character (Sponge Bob, Hanna Montana, Dora…).

And, hey, what about that time-tested past time, reading?

“Books are always a safe bet – there’s not a safety problem with books. Or videos. Those are always good gift ideas,” says the Consumer Union’s Don Mays, father of children ages six and 10.

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