Essential Holiday Shopping Guide for Finding Safe Toys

Last week my husband's aunt inquired about what our daughter would like for Christmas. I stood speechless, unsure how to answer her. Instead of envisioning a pile of presents under a beautifully decorated tree, I was picturing the mountain of toys (nearly a million) that have recently been recalled because of health hazards.

My knee-jerk response was to say, "Anything that is not made in China", but I resisted the urge. Instead, I went to my computer and began to research the problem that has captivated the minds of the American public: where to find toys that are safe for our children. After emerging from my computer, I realized that although China has become the scapegoat for poisonous products, US Companies may actually be at fault.

For example, Kohlberg Kravis Roberts & Co. (KKR) is a US firm under attack by parents and consumer activists because KKR is the parent company of Toys 'R' Us, Dollar General, and other companies that have manufactured or sold dangerous products. They are accused of pressuring overseas manufacturers to cut corners in order to make products at bottom line prices. While such actions may have lined their corporate pockets, it has also placed dangerous products in the hands of children and other consumers. Avoiding products manufactured in China is not going to make business practices that endanger our health go away.

So how are we, as consumers, going to handle the holidays? The first step is to seek out reputable companies to purchase toys and other gifts from. The most environmentally-sound approach is to find suppliers or stores that sell safe products in your neck of the woods. Join the local chapter of the holistic moms group, don't worry dads, you can join too! (www.holisticmoms.org) and ask other members where to shop. If there are no local options, many safe products are available online.