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The information you need to make safe toy choices and valuable tips on what you as parents or
caregivers can do to protect your children from unsafe toys
http://bit.ly/PF2MadeSafe
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Safe Toys: Where Are They?
I was shaken up by a news alert in my morning email: Mattel facing major recall of toys containing
lead paintpaint was delivered to their factory by a trusted supplierfinal production lot was shipped
without testing. How could this happen to the largest, best organized toy company? As Sr. VP of
Goldberger Doll Co., I ordered the immediate and ongoing testing of all paints in use at our China
factories.
Dont Trust - Check
The point that every manufacturer knows is that things happen in production which cause
variations from product to product. The more labor intensive a product, the more potential there is
for variation. To stem the flow of poor quality arms and materials reaching our soldiers in World
War II, Inspection Sampling was created and is still in use today. By checking a small number of
pieces from a large production run, you can determine if it meets your desired quality.
The same applies to Toy Safety, but the cost and time to check every run would make toys
incredibly expensive and cause extensive delays in shipments. Many factories that faced new
demands from customers took matters in house and started testing for heavy metals (like lead)
every day. It was obvious that now the raw material supply (paints, plastics, metals etc.) could be
tainted and ruin large manufacturing runs.
Watch For Unsafe Toys
I would advise that you avoid buying cheap toys at independent dollar or thrift stores, for ages
UNDER 3. It still amazes me how these toys get through our safety net. Small factories and
especially factories that sell low cost toys, usually have poor quality control. These low-priced
suppliers also are prone to shoddy workmanship and/or material substitutions. Either could easily
cause an unsafe toy for children under 3, primarily from small parts.
As an example, leaving a small opening in a sewn seam, could allow polyester to come out.
Polyester is considered a small part choking hazard. Using a lower grade plastic for an injection
molded toy can save a lot, but also be vulnerable to breakage. Even an inspector could not tell
that the factory changed plastics.
The Safest Toy Retailers
Major retailers, whose livelihood depends on toy sales, did not wait for Government to revise and
re-regulate the system. They took action and as a result have the safest supply of toys you can
find. Both Wal-Mart and Toys R Us have programs in place which call for more continuous testing
of manufactured toys. This replaced a system in which suppliers would select and send samples
to a test lab once or twice a year.
These measures dramatically increase the chances of finding unsafe toys, before they ever leave
the factory. So if you are looking for the potentially safest toys, made by any company, shop Wal-
Mart or Toys R Us.
Other retailers have polished their toy safety control systems, and now make sure that they have
current safety test reports for all items they buy. Some have tightened up the expiration of valid
reports to less than one per year. In general, buying major brands is better than off-brands
especially if you are shopping in a small, independently owned, store.
Michael Pietrafesa is an expert in toy manufacturing, product development and safety. Please visit
Made Safe Toys, the Ultimate Parent Help Center at http://madesafetoys.org for tons of
information on keeping your child safe from toys. The latest Consumer Information on Baby and
Toddler products is available at http://babyandtoddlertoo.com to help parents decide what to buy.
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The information you need to make safe toy choices and valuable tips on what you as parents or
caregivers can do to protect your children from unsafe toys
http://bit.ly/PF2MadeSafe
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