Just in time for the holidays... a healthy toys database!

Toys are the last place a parent wants to look for potentially harmful toxics, but after a record year of recalls, it is an increasingly necessary chore. Fortunately there is a new tool helps parents navigate this increasingly confusing world. Check out the 1,200 children products  tested for lead and other harmful chemicals by the Ecology Center of Ann Arbor, MI.  This is a fantastic database when picking out toys for your children this holiday season and very easy to use.  Hope this is useful!

Comments

[Lisa]

Thanks, Sara, excellent resource that I've already passed along. There is a best and worst list -for kicks, and after my own heart, they have a very thorough "action center" for making your voice heard on this issue. Check it out, and tell the gov't and the manufacturers to just stop it: http://www.healthytoys.org/takeaction.php.

[Lisa]

And thanks to Moms Rising for bringing this database to text messaging, so, yes, you can instantly know IN THE STORE (!) if the toy you aim to buy is on the list. Technology, mamas, it's really too much or too good to be true. Sometimes I just can't tell.

Here's how it works:
Parents can simply text “healthytoys” and the name of a particular toy to 41411 to find out whether that toy contains toxic chemicals. MomsRising.org will respond instantly with a message, based on comprehensive tests of more than 1,200 toys featured on the online platform, HealthyToys.org. For example, if you text “healthytoys polly pocket car” to 41411, you’ll receive a text message back saying: “TOXIN LEVELS DETECTED - LOW: Polly Pocket Car Cool Friends by Mattel”.