The Toy Recall That was Almost Too Late for My Daughter

Today, another toy recall was announced. Beads from a popular craft kit put several kids into the hospital when they ingested a drug in the coating. I was one of the mothers who had bought this toy for my daughter. Unlike the other mothers, whose kids got sick from it, I hadn't yet given it to my daughter. However, it was such a close call that I'm still shaken.

I consider myself a good mother. I'm very careful about the food and personal products I buy for my family. Most of the time, if I can afford it, I buy organic food, much of it locally grown. We don't buy a lot of toys, and we try to buy from companies we trust. I look for safe toys online and read everything I can find about toy safety in magazines and newspapers. I'm an info junkie anyhow, so it's easy for me.

So why did I miss the first couple of toy recalls? And why didn't I look a little more closely at the Aquadots I bought for my daughter? Why didn't I investigate to find out what material they were made from? My carelessness could have cost my daughter her health or even her life.This has really been a wake-up call for me.

The ironic part of this whole incident is that before the dots were recalled, I'd already started to blog about the toy recalls and had even started a blog where I listed safe toy companies and toy recall lists. All this while the tainted toy sat upstairs in my craft cupboard where my daughter could have grabbed it at anytime. This just shows how even a very well-informed and well-intentioned parent can make mistakes when it comes to toy safety. When we're shopping for toys, I think we get caught up in how cool the toy is, how much our child will like it and the packaging, instead of thinking safety first.

As we move into the holiday season, I've made a vow not to take any chances with my kids' safety. When I shop for toys, I'm going to stick with companies I trust, most of them from Europe, where toy safety standards are a lot higher than they are in this country. Even with these companies, I'm going to be very careful to choose toys made of material that I know is safe and tested. I'm going to stick with tried and true toys, not the latest glitzy gimcrack or character-based toy. I've learned that my kids' favorite toys have turned out to be toys that allow them to be creative, not one-trick ponies.

If we all do our homework and only buy toys from ethical, trustworthy companies, we'll be much closer to providing our kids with the safe, happy childhoods that they deserve