Looking for Green Toys In All the Wrong Places

by Daniel Sean Kaye

The assignment sounded easy enough: Go around to area stores to find “green toys” and check them out, seeing if they were of good quality and fun to play with. Figuring that eco-friendly and “green” are popular trends now, (I think even dust is now being marketed as “organic, naturally occurring particle balls”), I guessed I’d be inundated with items proclaiming to be “good for the Earth” and “pollutant-free.” I even wondered how I’d be able to narrow it down in just one article, choosing only the best, most interesting I could find.

Many hours and four major retailers later, I had found only one small toy line of such products, tucked onto a slim shelf at Toys “R” Us.

One. Seriously, one. It is the Earth-friendly toy line at Toys “R” Us. The toys are packaged with no less than 70 percent recycled material, using eco-friendly inks, made out of “forest-friendly sources” or 100 percent all-natural cotton and non-toxic inks and dyes. These plush animals and wood toys are simple and very sweet. I think young children would like them and they seem durable. They have the look of “classic” toys our grandparents might have had. I should also mention that I did find some eco-friendly baby items from Seventh Generation [Can Daniel contact these companies and ask if they would be interested in having their name in this article be a link to their website?] , such as laundry detergent, baby wipes, and diapers, all displayed prominently at several retailers.

It’s a shame gasoline is so expensive, because in the days that followed I spent so much time driving from store to store trying to find something, anything, to add to the story. Target, K-Mart, Wal-Mart, Sears, Becker’s Parent/Teacher store, independent toy stores, various dollar stores – nothing, nada, zip.

After all the missteps of the worldwide toy industry last year, you’d think you’d find plenty of alternatives to the children’s items that so stoked the fears of the vast American public. Even salespeople at the stores I visited were similarly dumbfounded, shrugging when I asked why more toy manufacturers weren’t making ecologically sensitive toys. More than once, they told me, “Well, maybe you can find some stuff Online.” I did find that items made by toy creator Melissa & Doug did include the line, “Exceeds toy safety testing,” which was nice to see but not entirely relevant to my quest.

Setting aside for a moment the lack of “green” toys there is one main ecological aspect I did find again and again – and an ironic one at that: subject matter. Everything for babies seems to have an animal on it (specifically endangered ones) or something about loving Earth, even though none seem to have anything specific to do with being ecologically sound. There are also a seemingly endless amount of toys that celebrate and investigate nature, including many items from EDUScience, Animal Planet, Cranium (their “Bloom” series), Rescue Pets Just Born, Little Tree, and Backyard Safari. These toys talk about animals, pollution, recycling, and other environment related subjects, introducing many of these topics into the mainstream toy world. It’s nice to see this focus and the use of toys as educational opportunities, but I had to wonder; is this their way of tapping into the “green” market without actually being “green” at all?

If many of these items do make an attempt to be “green,” perhaps it is only in packaging. Most have the recyclable symbol and some actually ask the buyer to make sure he or she recycles the item’s packaging. I did note, however, few products had labeling indicating that the packaging was made from any percentage of recycled material.

This is not to say that toys that don’t tout themselves as “kind to the Earth” are bad. Maybe they’re not directly beneficial – most are made from hard plastics, and that doesn’t exactly equate with “Mother Nature” – but it also doesn’t mean they are more awful or dangerous than any other product you might buy. Most of the toys are innocuous, a little problematic only because they’re inexpensive and will probably end up in landfills, but not necessarily dangerous.

As the salespeople mentioned, the real place to find “green” toys still seems to be the Internet, with dozens of Web sites selling products that have been created using what they say is the safest of manufacturing processes and the gentlest of environmental strategies. Most of these are independent toy manufacturers, small “Mom and Pop” sites or artists that believe strongly in the need for products made safely and kindly. Some items from these sites will be reviewed in my next article on SafeToys.com.

There’s no way of knowing if “green” items will really become a large market segment. Likely, the small companies that have been producing organic and environmentally-sound toys will continue to thrive only as a niche in the mass toy market, and perhaps this is why major retailers don’t stock the items. Mainstream manufacturing is all about low cost and ease of processes so, unless someone shows them a different, money-making path, the mainstream toy companies are unlikely to invest heavily in this area. But if the toy-buying public keeps asking the questions I asked, and starts buying more of these items from Online sites, maybe retailers will consider introducing more “green” toys to their shelves and we, the toy-buying public will see some real change from the industry.

Fireworks and Barbecue Safety:

There's fun to be had on Independence Day but it's important to stay safe

by Daniel Sean Kaye

Summer is the season of carefree, outdoor fun. Well, maybe not care “free.” There are still things to be cautious of when we’re outside, especially when considering our children. And with Independence Day coming up – the grand-daddy of the summer season holidays – firework and grilling safety should be at the forefront of our minds.

Even though it may seem common sense to think that handling fireworks can be dangerous, according to the U.S. Consumer Products Safety Commission (CPSC), about 6,400 Americans were treated at emergency departments last July 4th weekend and each year that number remains steady.

In addition, according to Prevent Blindness America and the American Society of Ocular Trauma, each year about 400 Americans permanently lose vision in one or both eyes due to fireworks. Children under the age 16 make up about 36 percent of this number and children under age 5 account for about a third of that amount. (See the end of this article for a list of emergency tips for eye injuries.) Prevent Blindness America also says that fireworks thought of as “safe and sound” cause more injuries than illegal ones, with nine out of 10 injuries coming from fireworks meeting federal regulations. Perhaps everyone is safer by leaving the fireworks to the professionals.

With all the fun of outdoor festivities, people often take for granted that children will be careful around the grill. Little ones especially don’t realize how dangerous a grill can be. How many times have you seen a toddler move quickly through your house towards an item that is inappropriate or dangerous? They can move a lot faster in the backyard, when adults are busy entertaining and easily distracted.

The New York City Fire Department and the CPSC say there are many ways adults can make barbecuing safer. Before you begin cooking, check the grill for cracks and leaks and make sure no obstruction is blocking the burners. Keep the grill more than 10 feet from the house and on level ground and NEVER place it on a surface that can burn (such as a wooden porch or deck). Make a chalk line around the grill as a safety zone for kids, and have a fire extinguisher and plenty of water available.

While you barbecue, do not wear loose clothes that could catch fire and be sure to use long-handled tools and flame-resistant mitts. Only use barbecue starter fluid (and no other flammable chemicals) to get the grill going, but never squirt it into an open flame (it could flashback against you). And, of course, never leave the grill unattended.

In case of a fire, it is suggested:
• To close the grill lid for charcoal grills, and to disconnect the power for electric grills.
• For propane grills, turn off the burners and shut off the tank valve if you can reach it safely. (If the fire involves the tank, evacuate the area and dial 911).
• Never try to put out a grease fire with water as that will cause the flames to flare up. Instead, use a fire extinguisher.

Remember, when using any style grill – read your owner’s manual to see how to properly service the grill at the beginning of the season, as well as to find out safety tips and concerns.

Even if you’ve been a griller for decades, there are things you can learn to make the celebrations safer for your children, grandchildren, and guests. You owe it to your visitors to put their safety first.

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Ocular Trauma Tips

Here are some steps to help save your child’s sight in the event of an accident, courtesy of Prevent Blindness America:

• Do not rub the eye as this can increase bleeding or make the injury worse.
• Do not attempt to rinse out the eye since this can be even more damaging than rubbing.
• Do not apply pressure to the eye itself. Consider holding or taping a foam cup or the bottom of a juice carton to the eye because protecting the eye from further contact with any item – including the child’s hand – is the goal.
• Over-the-counter pain relievers will not do much to relieve pain. Aspirin should never be given to children and ibuprofen can thin the blood, increasing bleeding. Take the child to the emergency room at once.
• Do not apply ointment because it makes the area around the eye slippery and harder for the doctor to examine.
• Do not let your child play with fireworks, even if his/her friends are setting them off. Sparklers burn at 1800 degrees Fahrenheit, and bottle rockets can stray off course or throw shrapnel when they explode.

Prevent Blindness America offers a free copy of their Safe Summer Celebrations brochure by calling 800-331-2020 or visiting www.preventblindness.org.

Summer Safety Suggestions:

Ideas to help keep the whole family protected

by Daniel Sean Kaye

There comes a time in every young family’s life when a trip is necessary. Not the “Let’s run to the drug store really quickly” or “I need to visit the library” type of trip. No, eventually a vacation is required, and that means Mom, Dad, and Baby/Toddler are in for a new experience – together in a plane, train, or automobile for more time than they ever have been before.

For some, this is a nightmarish scenario, full of screams, cries, and embarrassing behavior – and that’s from the parents. It doesn’t have to be that way. Travel time with the family can be a dream. All it takes is some methodical thinking, preparation, and the ability to be flexible. That all starts with having a plan, one that takes into account one central point: A safe vacation is a happy vacation. 

New parents tend to think about safety more than anyone else. They baby-proof the house, car, and dog as soon as Baby is big enough to roll over. But entering a new environment – a friend or family member’s home, a hotel, a plane, train, boat or airplane – and trying to be safe may seem like a daunting task. Planning and a little know-how can make this easier.

According to the Centers for Disease Control (CDC), even though millions of travelers get sick every year, most of these illnesses can be prevented. The CDC suggests the best three tips for staying healthy are: Be informed – Learn about travel health risks and what to do to avoid them before your trip; Be ready – Get any vaccinations (shots) or medicines that you will need before you travel; and Be smart while you travel – Make sure you follow travel safety tips.

While your family doctor or pediatrician can help you with the first two points, following smart safety tips will be up to you. A simple safety measure to prevent illness is to have everyone wash their hands often with soap and water. If you’re traveling in an area where water quality is a concern, drink bottled or boiled water. Make sure the food you eat is fully cooked and that vegetables have been washed and peeled (preferably by you, says the CDC). And if bites from mosquitoes, ticks, or similar insects are a risk, use insect repellent (bug spray) with 30 percent to 50 percent DEET.

It’s also crucial to know how to protect yourself and loved ones from injury as well as what to do when injury occurs. Learn where the family can find medical professionals, the location of nearby hospitals, and keep phone numbers of health-care facilities with you (as well as a fully charged cell phone). It is also smart travel with bandages, ibuprofen, a bottle of water, a thermometer, antibiotic cream, and a list of any allergies (food and medicine) and health issues family members may have.

While staying in a new location, the staff at Lucile Packard Children’s Hospital, in Palo Alto, Calif., and the Stanford University School of Medicine make several suggestions. First, parental supervision can’t be underestimated. Don’t assume your child is safe or that someone else will look out for them. That is your job. Second, childproof the room in which you’re staying. That means making sure windows are locked (install window guards for young children) and moving all furniture away from windows so children won’t climb on it to get to the window. Most modern hotels have windows that do not open, but parents should check them to make sure.

Never forget sunscreen, says the staff. Even on overcast days, the sun can wreak havoc. And remember to reapply, especially after swimming – even if the sunscreen is waterproof. Broad spectrum sunscreen that blocks ultra-violet A and B should be put on every one to two hours and should have a sun protection factor of 30 or higher. Protective clothing, including a hat and sunglasses, is smart, too.

To make the trip easier to take, be prepared for plenty of rest stops so that kids can safely stretch their legs a bit. Bring games, books, crayons, stickers, and paper to keep them occupied. Magnetic games are great for traveling but make sure they are safe for your child. If ingested, magnets can be a serious health concern for young children so if your child is at risk for putting them in his or her mouth, it is best to avoid magnetic toys. Try to maintain the same sleep schedule you have at home, too. Erratic or shortened hours can alter energy levels for everyone. Let them nap, too, because children may initially have a little difficulty sleeping in a new location and even a little rest is better than none.

Taking a trip should be the beginning of happy memories for everyone. To keep that going, take some time to think about what you’d need to do in case of an accident or illness. Hopefully it won’t be necessary, but isn’t safe better than sorry?

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TRAVEL SAFETY TIPS
from the Transportation Security Administration, the AAP, the Federal Aviation Administration, and the Centers for Disease Control

Traveling by Airplane
• Allow yourself and your family extra time to get through security - especially when traveling with younger children.
• Talk to your children before coming to the airport about the security screening process. Let them know that their bags (backpack, dolls, etc.) will be put in the X-ray machine and will come out the other end and be returned to them.
• Discuss the fact that it’s against the law to make threats such as; “I have a bomb in my bag.” Threats made jokingly (even by a child) can result in the entire family being delayed and could result in fines.
• Similar to travel in motor vehicles, a child is best protected on an airplane when properly restrained in a car safety seat appropriate for the age, weight and height of the child, meeting standards for aircraft until the child weighs more than 40 lbs. and can use the aircraft seat belt. You can also consider using a restraint made only for use on airplanes and approved by the FAA. Belt-positioning booster seats cannot be used on airplanes, but they can be checked as luggage so you have them for use in rental cars and taxis.
• Although the FAA allows children under age 2 to be held on an adult’s lap, the AAP recommends that families explore options to ensure that each child has his own seat. Discounted fares may be available. If it is not feasible for you to purchase a ticket for a small child, try to select a flight that is likely to have empty seats.
• Pack a bag of toys and snacks to keep your child occupied during the flight.
• In order to decrease ear pain during descent, encourage your infant to nurse or suck on a bottle. Older children can try chewing gum. Filling up a glass of water and blowing bubbles through a straw (4 years of age or older), or blowing up balloons (8 years of age or older) are additional options.
• Consult your pediatrician before flying with a newborn or infant who has chronic heart or lung problems or with upper or lower respiratory symptoms.
• Consult your pediatrician if flying within 2 weeks of an episode of an ear infection or ear surgery.

International Travel
• If traveling internationally, make sure your child is up to date on her vaccinations and check with your doctor to see if she might need additional vaccines.
• In order to avoid jet lag, adjust your child’s sleep schedule 2-3 days before departure. After arrival, children should be encouraged to be active outside or in brightly lit areas during daylight hours to promote adjustment.
• Conditions at hotels and other lodging may not be as safe as those in the U.S. Carefully inspect for exposed wiring, pest poisons, paint chips, or inadequate stairway or balcony railings.

Traveling by Car
• Always use a car safety seat for infants and children under 40 pounds. A rear-facing car seat should be used until your child has reached one year of age AND weighs at least 20 pounds. Once your child is at least one year of age and at least 20 pounds, he can ride in a forward-facing car seat, but it is better to keep him rear-facing to the highest weight and/or height allowed by his car safety seat.
• A child who has outgrown her car safety seat with a harness (she has reached the top weight or height allowed for her seat, her shoulders are above the top harness slots, or her ears have reached the top of the seat) should ride in a belt-positioning booster seat until the vehicle’s seat belt fits properly (usually when the child reaches about 4’ 9” in height and is between 8 to 12 years of age).
• All children under 13 years of age should ride in the rear seat of vehicles.
• Never place a child in a rear-facing car safety seat in the front seat of a vehicle that has an airbag.
• Set a good example by always wearing a seat belt.
• Children can easily become restless or irritable when on a long road trip. Try to keep them occupied by pointing out interesting sights along the way and by bringing soft, lightweight toys and favorite CDs for a sing-along.
• Plan to stop driving and give yourself and your child a break about every two hours.
• Never leave your child alone in a car, even for a minute. Temperatures inside the car can reach deadly levels in minutes. Unattended children can also remove their seat harnesses and release parking brakes putting them and others at risk of an accident.
• In addition to a travelers’ health kit, parents should carry safe water and snacks, child-safe hand wipes, diaper rash ointment, and a water- and insect-proof ground sheet for safe play outside.

Before Traveling Ask a Doctor:

SafeToys.com talked with Dr. Andrea McCoy about how to prepare for a family trip

by SafeToys.com

When going on vacation this summer, it’s a good idea to talk to a doctor first. For our questions about safe traveling, SafeToys.com spoke to Dr. Andrea McCoy, the chief medical officer at Jeanes Hospital in Philadelphia and a pediatrician for 19 years.

SAFE TOYS: Do you think having a first aid kit with you is a good idea or overkill?

Dr. McCoy: It is always a good idea to have a first aid kit, but having it in the trunk of the car is not always reasonable since some of the medicated products will spoil. Thoseare the things you wind up needing when you are away and don’t know where the nearest drug store is. I keep mine in a lunch box that has two compartments in which I can separate wet from dry materials. Ideally you should have it stocked with:
moist towelettes (or some type of cleansing agent)
• antiseptic
• antibiotic cream
• gauze pads (small for dressing wounds, large for cleaning wounds)
• gauze rolls
• adhesive tape
• Band-Aids
• tweezers
• thermometer
• Medications:
• Acetaminophen and/or ibuprophen
• Diphenhydramine (Benadryl)
• 1% hydrocortisone cream

Include a listing of allergies, medications, and health issues of family members. Be sure to check products for expiration dates. If you are camping or hiking, you should also include ace bandages and triangular bandages. Outside the first aid kit – and always with you – should be sunscreen and insect repellent (separate, not the combination product).

SAFE TOYS: What sort of information should parents take with them?

Dr. McCoy: Be sure to have pediatrician’s phone number, insurance information, and any special information needed if you are out of your home area (there may be certain hospitals you can use). Always carry the universal poison control number (1-800-222-1222). Carry your child’s immunization record (and be sure to keep it up-to-date at every visit). Keep a list of any medications, including over the counter items, like vitamins or allergy medicines, that your child takes and any allergies to medications, foods, bugs, or other things in the environment. It is always good to scope out the area to know where you would get health care if you needed it – hospitals (especially children’s hospitals) and walk-in treatment centers. Talk with your pediatrician before you go, especially if your child has significant health issues.

SAFE TOYS: What are some good simple remedies for common problems children have when traveling?

Dr. McCoy: For sunburn, apply sunscreen (SPF 50) at least 15 minutes before going outside. Reapply after swimming. Avoid the hours of 11 a.m. to 3 p.m. as that is when the sun is at its strongest.

If you get a burn anyway, cool the skin. Use acetaminophen for discomfort. Be sure your child drinks plenty of fluids since this is a first-degree burn. There are some topical sunburn products that help to cool the skin, but I don’t recommend any by brand name. If the skin blisters, leave the blisters intact. This is a second-degree burn. You should watch carefully for fever and seek medical care if fever or lethargy develop.

For sleep, the routines are off so try to reset them. If you have a really hard time, you can try a warm drink of milk. If all else fails, many children will get sleepy with a dose of Benadryl, but I don’t recommend that routinely.

Upset stomach: If this is caused by eating bad food, you really have to “get it out.” If it is just nausea from travel or excitement, try a little flat ginger ale or cola. If this fails, a little dose of an antacid is fine to give. Use one of the antacids that is calcium-based, like Tums.For travel sickness, avoidance is key. Have a light meal before travel – not too much, not too little. Be sure to have the child looking out the window. For children who are known to always get ill with travel, I do recommend the over-the-counter Dramamine. For the prescription patches, older children should check with their doctors.

SAFE TOYS: Are there vaccines and shots parents should be aware of? Does it pay to take the child to a doctor or get him/her a physical before trips?

Dr. McCoy: Otherwise healthy children don’t need doctor visits before routine trips. For families traveling overseas, it is wise to check with your doctor since there may be special vaccines that are required. We have recently added a vaccine to the roster that we would want to assure children have when traveling overseas, such as Hepatitis A. Older children should have a second dose of the chicken pox vaccine. Many children ages 2-10 who are traveling to Africa, India, and the Middle East will benefit from the meningococcal meningitis vaccine that we otherwise would not give until teenage years.

For children who have health issues or who take medications, it is wise to at least check with the doctor ahead of time to make sure you’re prepped for your trip as best as can be. Assure you have adequate supply of all prescription medications. Be aware that sometimes your prescription insurance will not allow you to purchase medication months in advance and you may need to make arrangements if you will be traveling for long periods.

SAFE TOYS: How about food and water issues? Is it enough just to wash hands to stay healthy?

Dr. McCoy:: This really depends on where you are traveling. Handwashing is always important. So is washing the food purchased at open markets. Know where you are traveling. Be aware that young children and those who have other heath issues are most likely to get seriously ill if they eat or drink contaminated food or water.

SAFE TOYS: What about safety from strangers or being in unknown areas?

Dr. McCoy: Stranger danger rules for your children should be no different than at home. You should have your eyes and hands on them at all times. The difference is probably that you will be in bigger crowds if you are in tourist areas. Don’t be shy about wearing matching color shirts so that you can easily spot each other if you drift apart, or tying a balloon to your child’s shirt at a parade, or using a stroller for your 5-year-old at Disney. Better safe than sorry.

One other thought:
Dr. McCoy says that parents should remember that many health insurances are national, so be sure to check with your insurance company (or their Web site) before you travel. If traveling internationally, it’s best to know before you go what your insurance will cover or how they will reimburse you. It would be horrible to be overseas with a sick child, paying cash for care that you’re not certain your insurance will cover. And always remember, wherever you are, the telephone always reaches your pediatrician at home. She knows you and your child and can often help you decide whether you can safely manage the illness or if you need to seek medical care.

Summer Water Safety:

Prevent accidents with these simple tips

by Daniel Sean Kaye

While summer is an exciting and fun time for children, adults should remember that dangers lurk in many places, especially near water.

According to The State of Home Safety in America report, amassed by the Home Safety Council (HSC), drowning is the fifth leading cause of unintentional injury related death. Silent and sudden, drowning often happens in home swimming pools. Drowning victims often make no noise once in distress, so constant supervision is critical. Here are some home pool area safety tips, from the HSC:

•If a child is missing, check the pool area first.
•Install four-sided fencing with self-locking, self-closing gates. Fencing should completely isolate the pool from the home and be at least five feet high. Always keep gates closed and latched. Never prop a gate open or disable the lock.
•Always practice constant, adult supervision around any body of water, including pools and spas, and never leave your child alone or in the care of another child.
•No one is “drown proof,” so no one should swim alone – even adults.
•Learn and practice basic lifesaving techniques, including First Aid and CPR, and insist that anyone who cares for your children learn CPR.
•Keep a cordless, water-resistant telephone close to the pool area.
•Post emergency numbers and CPR instructions near the pool area.
•Teach children that drains, grates, and filters are not toys. Never stick fingers or toes in these openings and stay away from suction devices.
•Post safety rules in a highly visible location. Make sure children understand and obey the rules.
•Completely remove pool and spa covers prior to swimming.
•Stay out of the pool during severe weather and thunderstorms, especially if lightning is forecast or present.

Child rearing expert Bette Holtzman is the vice president of consumer and family advocacy at The Goldberger Company, a family owned and operated toy company that specializes in toys for children aged 0 to 3. Here are some safe swimming tips parents should know for swimming with very young children: 

•Exercise touch/reach supervision – always be within an arm’s length of the child. Floaties and water wings are not an alternative to supervision; they will not prevent a child from drowning. 
•Practice safety near any place with water both inside and out: tub, toilet, fish pond, buckets of water, coolers, fountains, hot tubs, and even big puddles.
•Very young children need one-to-one undivided parent-to-child interaction. Forget the phone, reading, or watching other children. Never leave the child unattended in or near water to answer the telephone, door bell, etc. – even if the child is in a kiddie pool, at the water’s edge, or in the shallow end of a large pool.
•Pay attention to the older children.
•Ask other parents to help supervise at pool parties with several young children. At parties, designate “pool guards” who don’t drink or socialize (two or three can rotate). Teach children ages 8-12 how to respond to an emergency – what to do, when to do it, what their address and phone number are, etc.
•Empty the kiddie pool and get covers with locks for hot tubs and spas. Follow state or county guidelines for home pools. Empty cleaning buckets after mopping, shut bathroom doors, and use mesh covers over fish ponds.
•Ask your pediatrician at what age your child will be ready to learn to swim. Children younger than four-years of age are not developmentally able to swim properly and safely. Knowing how to swim doesn’t protect against drowning. Make sure instructors are certified and have proper experience.
•Enforce basic rules for all pools such as “no running,” “no diving,” and “no swimming alone.” Do not leave toys near the pool, especially riding toys such as trucks, bikes, and wagons. Do not leave toys floating in the pool.

Here are tips, according to TIPP (The Injury Prevention Program) from the American Academy of Pediatrics:

•Do not put a swimming pool in your yard until your children are older than five years.
•Keep rescue equipment such as a shepherd’s hook or life preserver by the pool.
•A power safety cover that meets the standards of the American Society for Testing and Materials (ASTM) may add to the protection of your children but should not be used in place of the fence between your house and the pool. Even fencing around your pool and using a power safety cover will not prevent all drownings.
•Remember, teaching your child how to swim DOES NOT mean your child is safe in water.

Here are tips from the American Red Cross:
•Children should wear a U.S. Coast Guard-approved personal floatation device (PFD) when around the water.
•Watch out for the dangerous “too’s” – too tired, too cold, too far from safety, too much sun, too much strenuous activity.
•Be knowledgeable of the water environment you are in and its potential hazards, such as deep and shallow areas, currents, depth changes, obstructions, and where the entry and exit points are located.
•Use a feet-first entry when entering the water. Enter headfirst only when the area is clearly marked for diving and has no obstructions.
•Never leave furniture near the fence that would enable a child to climb over the fence.
•Keep pole, rope*, and personal flotation devices (PFDs) by the pool and know how to use them. *Be sure rope is accessible only to those old enough to use in an emergency.

And when not at home (at beaches, lakes, waterparks):

•Select a supervised area, with a trained lifeguard.
•Select a clean and well maintained area. It shows management’s concern for health and safety.
•Select an area that has good water quality and safe natural conditions. Watch out for murky water, hidden underwater objects, unexpected drop-offs, aquatic plant life, water pollution, strong tides, big waves, and currents.
•Be sure rafts and docks are in good condition – no loose boards or exposed nails. Never swim under a raft or dock. Always look before jumping off a dock or raft to be sure no one is in the way.
•Avoid drainage ditches and arroyos. After heavy rains they can become raging rivers and even the strongest swimmers are no match for their power.
•Check the surf conditions before you enter the water – look for warning flags or check with lifeguards for water and beach conditions, or any potential hazards.
•Stay away from piers, pilings, and diving platforms when in the water.
•Make sure you have enough energy to swim back to shore.
•Don’t swim against a current, swim gradually out of the current by swimming across it.
•Read all posted signs. Follow the rules and directions given by lifeguards. Ask questions if you’re not sure about a procedure.
•Before you start down a water slide, get in the correct position—face up and feet first.
•If you cannot swim, wear a Coast Guard-approved life jacket.

Following these precautions may very well prevent needless tragedies.  Let’s all have a relaxing, enjoyable, and safe summer!

Washington State Takes the Reins on Child Safety:

Most aggressive toy safety legislation in the U.S. signed into law

by Maria Raha

On April 1, 2008, Washington Governor Chris Gregoire signed the Children’s Safe Products Act into law. The Children’s Safe Products Act revises Washington state’s safety standards for potentially hazardous chemicals in children’s products.

The hazardous chemicals noted in the bill include lead, cadmium, and phthalates, all of which are allowable in children’s products within specified federal limits. In a statement released by her office upon signage of the bill, Gregoire said, “Nothing is more important than the health and safety of our children. The toys and products we give them must meet the highest possible standards of product safety. Parents, doctors, public officials, toy makers and retailers in Washington state all share these goals.”

Washington’s bill will lower the acceptable levels of lead for children’s toys by a greater margin than proposed federal legislation. Lead was one of the most prominent chemicals involved in children’s product recalls in 2007. Levels that were dramatically higher than the acceptable federal standard were the cause for many toy and children’s jewelry recalls last year.

The lowest acceptable level of lead in children’s products under federal safety standards is currently 600 parts per million (ppm). New federal legislation would gradually decrease allowed lead levels to 100 ppm over the course of the next few years, according to Lori Valeriano, Policy Director for Washington Toxics Coalition. Washington’s new law will lower the state’s acceptable level to 90 ppm, and then to the limit recommended by the American Association of Pediatrics, 40 ppm, with the stipulation that this goal can be met by manufacturers. No children’s products with higher levels of lead will be sold in Washington state after July 1, 2009.

Initially proposed by a coalition of Washington groups known as the Toxic-Free Legacy Coalition, members of the Washington Toxics Coalition, Washington Physicians for Social Responsibility, Washington State Nurses Association, People for Puget Sound, Breast Cancer Fund, and WashPIRG (Washington Public Interest Research Group) drew up the legislation. It was officially proposed in January 2008, Valeriano said. She also noted that Washington’s bill is more focused on prevention than federal propositions for improved safety standards.

Valeriano attributes the July 1, 2009 deadline to the time needed for safety standard compliance by manufacturers. Not surprisingly, resistance to the bill mainly came from the chemical and toy industries. When asked how the Toxic-Free Coalition combated such resistance, Valeriano responded, “There’s a lot of support for safe and healthy toys for kids.” She went on to say that the primary reason the coalition could avoid expensive lobbying efforts was due to the demand for higher safety standards by the state’s general public.

The children’s products covered in the bill include toys, jewelry, and cosmetics meant for children younger than 12-years-old. The governor vetoed banning higher levels of lead in pieces of toys such as electronics, that might contain the targeted chemicals, but contain them in chips or in a toy’s inner workings rather than on a product’s outer material. In her veto note regarding the Children’s Safe Products Act, Gregoire noted the possibility of toys with high educational value being unnecessarily banned due to lead content in an inaccessible portion of a product.

Numerous states have begun to draft their own safety standards for children’s toys through similar pending legislation, and California, Massachusetts, and Michigan have already passed their own laws. Neither Massachusetts nor Michigan laws are as aggressive as Washington’s new bill. Massachusetts’ Department of Public Health focused specifically on children’s jewelry made with lead (which is set to go into effect in June 2008), and Michigan’s bill reaffirms the federal limit of 600 ppm. In 2007, California also sued 20 major companies for distributing products containing dangerous levels of lead.

The new state laws are garnering criticism from the federal government. State-regulated lead levels are an aspect of both manufacturers’ and the Bush Administration’s objections to differing, state-regulated lead levels. An official statement released by the National Association of Manufacturers referred to the “chaos” that would be generated by state-regulated lead levels.

While differing levels of lead might cause confusion in commerce, toy companies are beginning to respond to calls for lowered lead levels. Toys R Us, for example, announced in February 2008 that they would only distribute children’s products with lead limits of 90 ppm on the “surface coatings” of the retailer’s toys. The company will also cease using batteries coated with cadmium and products containing phthalates. “[W]e have made it very clear to manufacturers that we need not wait for the finalization of the much-needed tighter federal standards that are currently pending in welcome legislation before the US Congress,” said Toys R Us chairman and CEO Jerry Storch upon the announcement of the chain’s safety initiative.

Even with federal reform and state movements to ban toxic toys, there have been 30 toy recalls by the Consumer Product Safety Commission this year, and 12 of those recalls pertained to amounts of lead that were higher than the federal limit.

State movements for safer toys is a sign of the urgency of the issue for the public, and a sign that bills such as the CPSC Reform Act of 2007 are slow to come to fruition. Washington state’s demand was evident in Gregoire’s public statement regarding the Act. “We can’t wait any longer for the federal government to take action,” she said. “Our children need and deserve nothing less.”

The State of the Toy Industry and Toy-Related Legislation:

With new laws in several states and more proposed, toy-related legislation is quickly changing

by Daniel Sean Kaye

The state of toy safety continues to grow and change, spurred on by concerned parents as well as legislators wary of a repeat of last year’s recalls. Many states are considering what steps should be taken to protect their citizens as well as to avoid putting independent toy-makers out of business due to expensive testing. The following is a summation of some of the battles and legislation currently moving forward in the nation.

CPSC Changes
On February 19, Consumer Product Safety Commission (CPSC) Chairman Nancy A. Nord said the toy industry was not effectively trying to keep products safe. “As a mom and as chairman of the Consumer Product Safety Commission, I am very, very angry that we found so many violations of a standard that should be familiar to all of you,” Nord reportedly said to the audience at Toy Fair. “I will not tolerate either this industry or any other industry not complying with our regulations,” she said.

On March 6, the United States Senate attempted to respond to some of these concerns by approving changes to the country’s product safety system, according to the Washington Post. The Senate bill, while having some differences from the House bill of December 2007, is considered tough, with provisions that require retailers and manufacturers to pay closer attention to safety. These include better staffing of the Consumer Product Safety Commission, adding $40 million to the department (primarily to upgrade the CPSC’s facilities), and raising the maximum amount they can fine companies that do not immediately report hazards (the current cap is $1.8 million, the new House legislation would cap the fines at $10 million and the new Senate legislation would cap fines at $20 million). Also, lead would be banned from all children’s products and toys would be subjected to testing by independent labs.

SAFETY CERTIFICATION MARK
An April 11 report by Consumer Reports talks about work being done by the Toy Safety Coordination Initiative, a group intended to improve safety conformance of toys as well as rebuild consumer confidence in toy safety. The group is made up of members of the American National Standards Institute (ANSI) and the Toy Industry Association (TIA). The safety program developed would: require risk assessment and design hazard analysis on all new toy designs; create an audit system to ensure toys are made using good manufacturing practice; and require compliance tests of toy samples from production lines to verify satisfactory tests of industry and government safety standards. Favorable results would lead to a Safety Certification Mark, similar to the UL, ETL, and CSA listings.

BPA
Bisphenol A (BPA) is a chemical primarily used in the production of polycarbonate plastics and epoxy resins. Polycarbonate plastics are used in certain food and drink packaging (such as water and infant bottles), are usually hard and clear and have the recycle symbol of “7.”

There have been several reports about BPA having a connection to learning disabilities and age-related neurodegenerative diseases by researchers at Yale University School of Medicine, as well as other health impacts as reported by Philadelphia’s Fox Chase Cancer Center. An April 9 broadcast of NBC’s Today show also focused on the topic. On April 15, the National Toxicology Program released a report on BPA. The report agrees with the conclusion of the Center for the Evaluation of Risks to Human Reproduction (CERHR) Expert Panel on BPA that there is some concern over BPAs impact on fetuses, infants, and children, especially upon the prostate gland, mammary gland, and an earlier age for puberty in females.

In response to the report, the TIA reminds readers that the study says that more research is needed in the area of BPA, but that the TIA does not support restrictions and regulations of BPA. However, the TIA says, “TIA supports federal legislative efforts to strengthen toy safety laws and believes that a national, unified set of regulations is the best approach to ensure the safety of our nation’s children.”

WASHINGTON STATE
On April 1, 2008, Washington State Governor Chris Gregoire signed the Children’s Safe Products Act (House Bill 2647) into law. The Act is widely considered the country’s most strict toy safety law so far. Scheduled to go into effect in the summer of 2009, the law is intended to cut the amount of cadmium, lead, and phthalates in toys as well as children’s jewelry, car seats and other items. Gregoire did remove certain parts of the bill for fear it would offer too much of a ban on toys, but kept some strong restrictions against the aforementioned chemicals. The American Chemistry Council, against the bill, said that phthalates are safe and are considering legal action against Washington. An in-depth story on this subject can be found at SafeToys.com.

OTHER STATES
A March 25 article in the Wall Street Journal says that Illinois and Michigan have already enacted new lead laws, a ban on phthalates is due to take effect in California next year, and there are legislative battles growing in 10 states, including Connecticut, Maine, Maryland, Massachusetts, Minnesota, Vermont and Wisconsin.

A March 2 article in the Miami Herald says that Florida’s Children’s Toy Safety Act (HB 467 and SB 886) would require toy manufacturers selling products in Florida to complete independent, third-party testing to certify that its toys comply with standards set by the CPSC.

According to Stateline.org, Michigan’s law of last December bans “all toxins” in toys and specifically outlaws lead in children’s jewelry. New Jersey’s law of August 2007, and Oregon’s law on March 2008, block the sale of recalled toys. In addition, says Stateline.org, the states’ actions have lead to major changes by Wal-Mart and Toys “R” Us, including stricter toy testing standards and the elimination of lead, phthalates and other toxins so they can apply California’s standard to toys nationwide.

Maryland Toy Safety Legislation Expected to be Signed by Governor:

Despite attempts to alter the bill, legislation passes Maryland's House and Senate

by Ronni Robinson

In an attempt to strengthen restrictions on children’s products that contain lead, Maryland has joined the ranks of the few states in the United States that are taking toy safety regulations into their own hands.

As is the course with a bill becoming a law in a state, the bill has to first pass in the state’s House, then through the Senate, and finally, the governor must sign it into law. The bill is now on the governor’s desk for signing.

In the House proposed version of the bill, jewelry, toys and other children’s products in Maryland containing lead would be banned.  In February, this bill sailed through the House with a vote of 132-4 in favor of tighter restrictions.

This original bill that passed through the House would have ensured toys that contained any trace of lead would have been taken off Maryland store shelves.

WBALTV.com reported, “It would have mandated independent, certified inspection of toys for lead content at the manufacturing level and state agents would have been hired to randomly check for lead in toys or store shelves.”

The version which passed the House had certain provisions as to what kind of products required third party testing, no longer relying on the manufacturer to do the testing.

In addition, the original bill had a July 1, 2008 deadline for providing certification that toy products sold in Maryland were lead-free.

Before the bill was to go to the Senate floor toy industry lobbyists went to the Senate’s Finance Committee in an attempt to alter the proposed legislation, which resulted in amendments to the bill.

Julie Livingston, spokeswoman for the Toy Industry Association, said that the bill “could ban many educational and fun toys Maryland children have played with safely for years.”

The Baltimore Sun reported, “As amended by the Senate Finance Committee, the bill would have delayed any action for more than a year and also would have been superceded by any standards the federal government might adopt, even if they were less stringent than Maryland’s.”

The Toy industry presented its own amendments to the Senate Finance Committee, which included changes such as toy companies having the ability to conduct their own lead testing.

The lobbyists also proposed that the bill wouldn’t go into effect until June of 2009.

Livingston said, “It will be virtually impossible for toy manufacturers to comply with the aggressive timetable established by the Maryland Legislature for implementation of this bill. Therefore, many safe toys will simply not be available to parents if this bill becomes law.”

Furthermore, “This legislation is inconsistent with European standards and pending federal standards that recognize inaccessible parts do not pose safety risks to children,” Livingston said.  (Inaccessible parts are parts or components that are not reasonably accessible to the child user so as to present a health hazard.  For example, an electronic chip in the product to which the child doesn’t have access to ingest.)

Senator Robert Zirkin, who according to Gladden has an 8 ½ month old daughter and was personally offended by the late changes, led the charge on the Senate Floor to try to convince his fellow Senators to vote for the original House version of the bill rather than the amended version.

The Senate listened to Zirkin’s arguments and ultimately, in early April, the bill passed through the Senate in its original form, the same bill that sailed through the House of Delegates. It is expected that Maryland’s Governor, Martin O’Malley, will sign it into law at the end of April.

Senator Lisa A. Gladden feels that passing this bill, in the same format that it passed through the House, was “one of the best things that we did this year.”

Gladden said, “The reality of it is this type of problem is much easier to deal with on the front end instead of the back end. Toy companies don’t want to deal with it on the manufacturing end because it’s too expensive.”

Testing has proved that exposure to lead can harm a child’s central nervous system. “When children have exposure to led, there is a higher likelihood of that child needing special education as well as other problems in life. It could ruin kids’ lives forever,” Gladden said.  “It’s a small price to pay for quality of life.”

Senate Passes the CPSC Reform Act of 2007

by Maria Raha

After a year rife with product recalls, the Senate passed the Consumer Product Safety Commission (CPSC) Reform Act of 2007 in early March with a vote of 79-13. The CPSC Reform Act of 2007 will provide the much-debated safety agency with an expanded budget and beefed-up investigation presence at high-traffic ports of entry. Also included in the bill is the requirement to make recall information easily accessible by database, as well as lower acceptable levels of lead in children’s toys, and requirements for third-party laboratory testing.

The CPSC garnered repeated media attention throughout 2007 for an increased number of recalls, the majority of which were imports from China. Many of the recalls impacting Chinese manufacturers contained dangerous levels of lead in children’s toys. According to the CPSC, 85 percent of toys are now manufactured in China, which is a 200 percent increase in nine years, the agency has noted. As a result of safety concerns involving imports, the CPSC has become more aggressive in its involvement in import inspections.

The CPSC’s Import Safety Initiative—a result of the agency’s expanded budget in 2008—was announced by the agency on March 6, 2008. It aims to affect inspection procedures for imports at up to 10 U.S. ports of entry. Full-time CPSC staff will now conduct product safety inspections with Customs officials. In order to minimize unsafe products being shipped to lesser-attended ports of entry, the CPSC declined to mention exactly where the initiative has been enacted, although it’s been reported that Long Beach, California, is included on its list.

“Our new Import Safety Initiative won’t necessarily change importing procedures— instead, it will enhance already existing procedures,” said Julie Vallese, CPSC Director of Information and Public Affairs, in written communication with SafeToys. “The CPSC will now have permanent staffing at some of the busiest ports in the country, working side by side with Customs and Border Protection to make sure products coming into the U.S. meet safety standards.” Vallese also stressed the agency is still in the planning stages, and confirmed that it is too soon to measure the effectiveness of changes at U.S. ports. “We’re still in the process of building the division,” she said.

The investment in the Import Safety Initiative is an estimated $3.2 million due to go into effect in 2009, according to Vallese, and the agency will continue to increase the staff involved in the Initiative. “The CPSC focuses on products and will continue to do so at the ports,” she continued. “The investigators will be focused on mandatory safety standards and will be looking to ensure that products coming into the country meet those standards.”

In testimony before the Subcommittee on Financial Services and General Government House Committee on Appropriations in March 2008, CPSC acting chairman Nancy Nord requested a budget equal to the 2008 budget increase for 2009. She also addressed the CPSC’s border presence. “Our new Import Surveillance Division is designed to be the front line of defense working to prevent dangerous toys and other hazardous products from entering the country,” she told the subcommittee. “These employees will be specialists trained specifically in import surveillance procedures and will work closely with other government agencies and with CPSC’s compliance officers, technical staff, attorneys, and laboratory personnel.”

While new import procedures will certainly impact manufacturers, the Toy Industry Association’s Director of International and Government Affairs, Rob Herriott, reacted positively to increased safety provisions. When asked about the reform’s economic impact on manufacturers, he commented, “The economics of toy manufacturers are only as good as the safety of their toys.” He also noted the Import Safety Initiative will benefit manufacturers by increasing the odds of uncovering brand knockoffs, the manufacturers of which often neglect safety standards.

Still, the Act as a whole has faced resistance. The Bush Administration has been critical of the Senate’s version of CPSC reform, and offered its own plan, known as the Action Plan for Import Safety, in 2007. The Office of Management and Budget released a public statement in March criticizing the Senate’s passage of the bill. “[W]hile the Administration believes that it should be illegal to sell a banned product, a recalled product, or one that violates a mandatory standard, it has serious concerns about legislation that does not include a standard of willfulness regarding such sales.” The statement also mentioned the financial burden of adding an easily searchable consumer safety database, as well as offering criticism of the Act’s protections for whistleblowers.

The National Association of Manufacturers (NAM) is also somewhat critical of the bill, according to a statement released by executive vice president Jay Timmons. The NAM has been critical of the act’s whistleblower protections, as well. When asked for comment, however, NAM Assistant Vice President of Corporate Affairs Jim O’Neill replied, “The NAM supports the important mission of the CPSC and has advocated for increasing its budget and resources. The marketplace needs to be free of unsafe consumer products that could pose a risk of injury to consumers, particularly to our most vulnerable population—our children.” Neither the Bush Administration, nor the NAM have criticized the Import Safety Initiative outright.

The CPSC Reform Act of 2007 also requires the CPSC to hire an additional 500 employees (formerly a major issue for the agency’s effectiveness), and to staff 50 employees at borders and overseas. The CPSC will also undergo technological overhauls to aid the effectiveness of the Import Safety Initiative and other new programs. Communications with countries with high import activity, such as China, have already been revamped, as well. “Summary provisions of nearly 300 U.S. mandatory and consensus consumer product safety standards are now available in Chinese,” testified Nord. “We are posting timely information briefs on our website in Chinese, and our plans include links to full Chinese texts and audio-visual products.”

With improved communications methods, border presence and increased budgets, the success and support of the CPSC’s overhaul will be measured as the changes go into effect.

The “Little Guy” Strikes Back:

Solutions and Concerns About the Future of the Toy Industry

by Daniel Sean Kaye

Since last year’s recalls and the ensuing scrutiny by the media and general public, many toy manufacturers, retailers, and distributors have had to take a new look at the definition of “toy safety.” This is an ongoing process, and one sure to result in legislation with varying levels of success. Who better to address how this situation has impacted the industry than people who make their livings from the industry – SafeToys.com consulted with representatives from small-scale toy companies to gain perspective on how new proposed legislation would affect the “little guy” and to hear suggestions about how to handle the new need for better safety standards.

“We received a large number of calls and emails [last year] asking us where our products were made, and if they were safe,” said Debbie Butera, co-owner, MonkeyBean Toys (http://www.monkeybeantoys.com). The company’s toys are made all over the world, so it contacted every vendor to request safety statements from them, which have been posted on the company’s Web site. MonkeyBean Toys also rented an XRF (X-Ray Fluorescence) Metal Analyzer and hired a consultant to help screen its Chinese-made wooden toy inventory for lead. “While we believed our vendors, we thought that going through that extra step could maybe help to alleviate some of the fears and concerns that our customers were having,” said Butera. Everything on the site tested negative for lead.

Before last year’s recalls, toys were assumed to be safe by both consumers and some manufacturers, according to Mike Rainville, president, Maple Landmark Woodcraft (http://www.maplelandmark.com). But now, it is a primary concern and is no longer taken for granted. “We have had to look at safety from a deeper perspective. It is no longer enough to meet federal and industry safety standards; our customers have concerns beyond that,” said Rainville. “We are introducing new product and changing some older product to meet consumers’ changing expectations.”

Holgate Toys (http://www.holgatetoy.com), which has safety tested its toys for years using an independent testing laboratory in the United States, was prepared for questions from the public. “We have always been on top of toy testing so nothing has changed with our way of doing business,” said Richard Bly, president, Holgate Toys. He also said the company continually tests new toys as and tests the finishes used on them. “Holgate has used the same paint supplier for 20 years, a family-owned business that has been in the paint finish business for more than 75 years. We know the suppliers we work with, require them to provide safety data sheets from the chemical companies they work with, and continually test their product at random,” he said.

Still, last year’s crisis has raised questions about long-term solutions. For example, what is the responsibility of the large toy manufacturers?

“I think the ‘mega’ toymakers/manufacturers, especially, need to put in procedures that help them confirm that their toys are manufactured correctly and conforming to the standards set by the U.S. and/or E.U. to protect our children,” said Butera. “There needs to be more communication between the toy companies and their production partners abroad, etc. It seems that there was a breakdown in the ‘checks and balances’ and they lost sight of what was actually happening. I feel that parents have a right to know that when they purchase a toy for their child, that it is safe. I don’t believe there should be any doubt.”

Rainville said the problem is not the standards themselves, but the toy industry’s inability to meet those standards. “Short of massive increases in testing requirements, it is rather difficult to assure piece-by-piece compliance, especially when foreign supply chains are subject to corruption,” he said. “That is a systems breakdown, not a standards problem,” he said.

The problems stem from large toy companies having products made in China, said Bly. “Although some of these factories in China were ISO certified, there appears to be a huge problem of toys that have been imported in the U.S. during the past 10 years or longer that went undetected at the U.S. custom borders.”

For Bly, while the federal government is looking to re-write toy safety standards, the concern is that these new regulations will negatively impact small U.S. toy manufacturers. “It may cost thousands and thousands of more dollars per year to test because of the problems that these large national companies have exposed to the U.S. consumer. And these large companies have another advantage, they test their product overseas, thus costing considerably less. I don’t believe this is fair for small U.S. companies,” he said.

Butera believes the big toy companies should do all testing here in the States and should make sure their products are safe before shipping to retailers. “I still have a hard time wrapping my head around the fact that so many millions of lead-tainted toys made it to the shelves last year (and how many years prior?). It was a horrible fiasco for the Toy Industry as a whole. Hopefully a lot of lessons will be learned,” she said.

Rainville’s company is also concerned that any solutions will disproportionately impact smaller manufacturers, “especially domestic manufacturers that already have an extremely high cost structure,” he said, adding that domestic manufacturers were not included in last year’s recalls of lead-tainted toys. High quality/low volume producers “are the ones that many consumers have been turning to for safe toys in recent months,” he said. He also claimed regulations for big producers won’t work for the small manufacturers but said “unfortunately larger companies have greater influence in this process than smaller companies.”

The patchwork regulation that Rainville fears will come from state initiatives intending to do what the federal government is not, will be difficult for manufacturers to navigate, especially low volume producers. “It will be sadly ironic that the main victims of the increased requirements may be the very same manufacturers that the American public turned to (successfully) for safe toys during the 2007 holiday period,” he said.

Some proposed testing regimes will end up taking some very good products off the market, he said, pointing to the expense of independent testing. “If a product doesn’t have sufficient volume or margin to cover those costs, it will disappear. There is even the likelihood that some good companies will be forced to leave the business. All for a less-than-certain assurance that certification programs will actually be faithfully conducted,” he said.

Rainville has heard few solutions to the problem which he considers viable. “The best answer is to allow and encourage the market to punish the violators. Consumers are slowly learning that maybe there is no free ride after all,” he said. He also said consumers must consider the origins of the products they buy.

Bly feels that the Consumer Products Safety Commission needs more help to stop unsafe and toxic toys from making it to American shelves. “There should be stiff penalties imposed on companies that get caught [importing unsafe toys] at the borders - and a regulation that would ban that company for a period of time from importing any products into the U.S.,” he said. “I think this regulation would motivate those companies having toys made in China to comply with U.S. standards quickly. And it might also bring some of these companies back home again.”

Bike Riders, Protect Yourself and Your Family – Wear a Helmet:

Bike riding is fun, take the proper safety precautions to make sure a ride doesn't end badly

by Daniel Sean Kaye

According to Safe Kids USA (www.usa.safekids.org), bicycles are associated with more childhood injuries than any consumer product except the automobile. More than 70 percent of children ages 5 to 14 (over 27 million) ride bicycles, and because children ride 50 percent more often than the average bicyclist they account for about 21 percent of all bicycle-related deaths and nearly half of all bicycle-related injuries.

Safe Kids says that most children’s bicycle-related deaths and injuries occur:

  • at non-intersection locations (59 percent), during the months of April through October (80 percent) and between 2 p.m. and 8 p.m. (65 percent).
  • on secondary roads (60 percent) – most within a mile of the bicyclist’s home.
  • (for ages 4 and under) in non-street locations around the home (e.g., driveway, garage, yard).

According to the data, a young rider (age 14 and under) is four times as likely to be injured or killed in a bicycle related accident in non-daylight hours (e.g., at dawn, dusk or night) than during the daytime. Young riders also are susceptible to erratic maneuvers: Among children 14 and under, a bicyclist’s behavior (riding into a street without stopping, turning left or swerving into traffic that is coming from behind, running a stop sign, and riding against the flow of traffic) accounts for 80 percent of bicycle related injuries or fatalities.

The leading cause of death and permanent disability in bicycle crashes is the lack of a helmet. Head injuries account for more than 60 percent of bicycle-related deaths, more than two-thirds of bicycle-related hospital admissions, and about one-third of hospital emergency room visits for bicycling injuries, according to Safe Kids’ data.

The most effective safety device available to reduce head injury and death from bicycle crashes is a helmet. Wearing a helmet can reduce the risk of head injury by as much as 85 percent, but fewer than half (41 percent) of kids ages 5 to 14 wear helmets when participating in wheeled activities, and more than a third (35 percent) of children who use helmets wear them improperly. Non-helmeted riders are 14 times more likely to be involved in a fatal crash than helmeted riders and children ages 10 to 14 are at greater risk for traumatic brain injury from a bicycle-related crash compared with younger children.

According to the Bicycle Helmet Safety Institute (BHSI) (www.helmets.org), it is important to find a helmet that fits the rider well, is round and smooth on the outside, and has a sticker inside certifying that it meets the US Consumer Product Safety Commission (CPSC) standards (most sell for $10 to $30, although some can cost up to $150). The CPSC bike helmet standard is law now for every helmet made after 1999, and ASTM (a standards development organization that serves as an open forum for the development of international standards) and Snell B-90 standards are similar to it. When choosing a helmet, if cost is a concern, be aware that any helmet which meets the safety standards, regardless of price, will provide similar protection. More expensive helmets generally weigh less and have more air circulation than less expensive models but are not considered more safe. 

The BHSI also says to replace a helmet after being in a crash; if it’s more than 20 years old; if the outside is foam or cloth instead of plastic; if it lacks a CPSC, ASTM or Snell sticker; and if it cannot be adjusted or does not fit well.

Buying the right helmet can be tricky, so Safe Kids suggests the following “Eyes, Ears, and Mouth” check: 

  • Position the helmet on the child’s head. Have the child look up. He or she should see the bottom rim of the helmet (one to two fingers above the eyebrows).
  • Make sure the straps of the helmet form a “V” under their ears when buckled. The strap should be snug but comfortable.
  • Have the child open his or her mouth as wide as possible. If the child does not feel the helmet hug against his or her head then tighten the straps.

If the child is opposed to wearing a helmet, it may help to have her choose her own. Helmets come in many colors and styles, and having the opportunity to pick one out personally may entice the child to wear it even when adults aren’t around. Also, talk to other parents to encourage helmet wearing among their kids. And make sure your children see that you wear a helmet. Children are more likely to wear helmets when riding with others who wear them, according to Safe Kids.

The National Crime Prevention Council (www.mcgruff.org), also gives useful tips on bicycle safety:

  • Always wear a helmet and be sure it fits properly. In many states it’s illegal not to wear one.
  • Wear bright-colored clothing so drivers and other bikers can see you.
  • Remember to put reflectors on your clothes, helmet, and bike for maximum visibility of you to other vehicles on dim lit days.
  • Obey the rules of the road. Bikers must stop at all stop signs and traffic lights and use turning signals, just like cars.
  • Ride on the right hand side of the road – the same direction as traffic.
  • Look both ways. Most crashes happen at intersections or driveways so look for people who may not see you.
  • Ride on bike trails, roads with little traffic, or in parks. At a busy road, walk the bike across intersections at a crosswalk.
  • Keep the bike tuned up.
  • Lock up the bike or keep it in a safe place when you’re not using it.
  • Ride with friends – it’s more fun and you have someone to help you if you need it.

For more tips, suggestions, statistics, and rules of the road, visit the safe bike riding section of the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration

Be aware of the following bicycle and bicycle related product recalls from the past year.

Weighing in on the Phthalates Scare:

Looking into converns over phthalates in toys

by Ronni Robinson with additional reporting by Laurence Liss

When one thinks of how toys can be dangerous, the recent toy recalls due to lead-based paint come to mind. But toy safety is a far larger issue than lead alone. Lately, concerned parent groups have been focusing attention on certain chemicals used to make toys and other child-related products.

The chemicals are called phthalates (pronounced thal-ates). Phthalates are a group of chemical compounds mainly used to add flexibility and resilience to many consumer products. There are at least 24 different types of phthalates. They are chiefly used to turn polyvinyl chloride (PVC) from a hard plastic into a flexible plastic. Think rubber ducks or dolls.

There are a few factors involved in solving this phthalates puzzle. The major questions to be addressed are “Which, if any, phthalates are dangerous?” and “How do phthalates affect children?”

In 2002, the U.S. Consumer Product Safety Commission (CPSC) denied a petition by environmental groups to ban PVC in toys intended for children under five years of age. According to the agency “the decision, based on extensive study by [CPSC] staff, and a review of years of research by an independent panel of scientific experts and others, put to rest a long-running debate over the safety of toys containing PVC softened with the plasticizer, di-isononyl phthalate (DiNP).”

Jeff Gearhart, a lead researcher for the Ecology Center, which is behind the website HealthyToys.org, said there has been very little actual testing of phthalates in children’s products, stating: “There is a lack of information on the topic which makes it hard to generalize too much about this group of chemicals.”

Despite a lack of conclusive research or evidence, Gearhart said that HealthyToys.org is concerned about the presence of phthalates in toys and believes the toy industry should phase them out.

Erika Schreder, M.S., is a staff scientist at the Washington Toxics Coalition (WTC). Schreder and the WTC have recently been conducting studies on phthalates for HealthyToys.org. Schreder points out that the tests in the past were conducted in laboratory studies on animals, not studies on children.

However, Schreder also said “Gradually evidence has built up that phthalates are toxic to unborn male reproductive systems via their mothers, resulting in birth defects such as undescended testis and hypospadias. The substance has also been found to produce hormonal changes such as blocking the action of testosterone in young boys.” Additionally, she indicates that an association has been found between higher levels of phthalates and lower testosterone in male babies.

In her February 2008 study titled “Not So Squeaky Clean,” Schreder tested 20 toys commonly available at many national retailers and dollar stores. Toys were screened for the presence of PVC using an XRF analyzer and then submitted for laboratory testing by STAT Analysis of Chicago to determine the presence and levels of 17 phthalates using gas chromatography/mass spectroscopy. All toys tested were designed for young children.

The results of the testing showed phthalates in many popular children’s toys. According to Schreder, these results show the urgency for the Washington state legislature to pass the “Children’s Safe Products Act of 2008” this year.

A recent study published in Pediatrics (the official journal of the American Academy of Pediatrics) also found detectable phthalate levels in 81 percent of young children tested. One of the chemicals that was not tested for was di-isononyl phthalate (DiNP) which is “the primary phthalate” associated with use in children’s toys. This has brought criticism from the Toy Industry Association (TIA). The full report can be found at www.pediatrics.org

Seemingly in response to the Schreder’s study and to the Pediatrics study, on its website in February 2008, the American Council on Science and Health (ACSH) wrote the following: “Given the sophistication of analytic chemistry today, we can find traces of any and all chemicals—natural and synthetic—to which we (or our babies) are exposed. Just because you can measure the presence of a chemical in blood or urine is no reason to believe the chemical poses harm. Thus it is no surprise that phthalates can be detected in trace amounts in a baby’s urine—but it is meaningless health wise.”

The ACSH further states, “there is no evidence whatsoever—not even a hint—of health problems from phthalates in any consumer products used by children or adults. That is the conclusion of esteemed scientists from the Food and Drug Administration, Consumer Product Safety Commission, and universities around the world—and a blue ribbon panel on phthalates and health chaired by former Surgeon General C. Everett Koop. The claimed health risk is totally bogus, based exclusively on results of high-dose rodent experiments. The claim that phthalates ‘disrupt hormones’ is pure speculation and without scientific merit.” To read the whole article, see www.acsh.org

The Toy Industry Association (TIA) agrees with the findings of the ACSH. The TIA’s website states: “There is simply no solid, scientific evidence that any person has ever been harmed by the presence of phthalates in toys. In fact, there is considerable evidence to the contrary.”

The TIA is against banning phthalates until scientific studies clearly point to a health concern according to TIA president Carter Keithley. Keithley, speaking with SafeToys.com editor Laurence Liss in February said the TIA would quickly respond if phthalates were shown to be dangerous but so far this has not been the case. Further, Keithley addressed the conflicting reports and said the TIA conducted a “study of studies” to find which scientists or organizations had published the varying reports. Keithley said this review found the longstanding notion that phthalates are safe to be most accurate.

The TIA has other concerns over banning phthalates.  Phthalates have been in toys for decades with no proven links to health issues, however any replacement chemicals would not necessarily have such a long history of use and analysis.

Some researchers, such as Schreder, still stand strong on the dangers of phthalates. Schreder states in her report that “decades of laboratory research have shown that phthalates can derail normal development of the male reproductive system, and studies in people are beginning to confirm the effects at current exposure levels.”

The European Union has, of late, banned phthalates and California is currently taking action to eliminate phthalates from toys. These bans have put pressure on the TIA and government safety agencies to defend the continued use of the chemicals. At Toy Fair 2008, SafeToys.com editors asked TIA representatives to comment on the reason Europeans have banned the chemicals while the United States has not. A TIA spokesman called the European approach as “precautionary” and said the European ban came even after scientists confirmed that phthalates posed no health concern.

These assurances are not satisfactory to some. Without question, Schreder feels the chemicals pose a threat and advises parents is to avoid toys that are vinyl or PVC because choosing phthalate-free toys poses a challenge: Law does not require manufacturers to mention the use of phthalates on toy packaging.

These precautions are reactionary to people like Frank W. Clarke, a spokesman for the TIA.. He feels that parents should be careful and concerned but reiterated a common TIA claim “phthalates have been used for over 50 years and no one has ever been harmed. If it isn’t broken, don’t fix it until alternatives are tested and shown to be better.”

Warranted or not some companies are taking the phthalate controversy very seriously. In November 2007, Toys “R” Us announced it would begin to phase out phthalates from children’s toys intended for the mouth. The company posts the following message on the safety page of its website:

  • All manufacturers have been notified that by the end of 2008 juvenile products sold in any Toys“R”Us or Babies“R”Us store in the United States must be produced without the addition of phthalates that have raised concerns about infant safety.
  • Additionally, as we move closer to our goal of offering PVC-free products, we have already begun replacing PVC and phthalates in juvenile products manufactured exclusively for Toys“R”Us, Inc.

Clearly there is a lot of conflicting evidence about the dangers of phthalates. Perhaps the best thing to do is to be aware of phthalates in children’s toys and not bring these potentially dangerous toys into our homes. There are enough alternative toys available. If however, you are not convinced of the dangers then be aware of phthalates in children’s toys and keep on the alert for further news stories and research relating to the chemicals. We will continue to bring you information and findings relating to this issue.

Looking for the Best Toys for Children with Special Needs:

A look a several companies focusing on toys for special needs children

by Daniel Sean Kaye

Children are children, it doesn’t matter if they have a disability. Likewise, parents of children with disabilities want to find toys their children will enjoy, just like any other parent. The difference may be that the child with a disability may need or respond better to toys made specifically with his or her challenges in mind.

According to the American Academy of Pediatrics, “The task of finding the right toy that is not only age-appropriate but will also accommodate the needs of a child with a disability, falls in the hands of parents and family members who want nothing more than to please their child or grandchild.” Trying to go through the thousands of toys that exist to find the one that best matches the child’s abilities can be difficult.

In searching for toys for children with different needs, several organizations and sites stand out.

The Adaptive Child (www.adaptivechild.com)
Created in 2003 by a mother who could not find appropriate toys for her autistic child, this site offers many active play toys for children with special needs. The toys entertain children while they address the sensory experience, teach balance and coordination, and enhance gross motor development. They include active play toys, soft activity centers, ball pits, balance tools, oversized building blocks, rainy day items, large snap-wall playsets, acrylic mirrors, tricycles and scooters, tents and tunnels, and products based on vestibular input—the sensation of movement and vibration.

The people who run this site say they look for “innovative, hard to find, high-quality products, and then rigorously test them for performance and value.” They also offer a guarantee on all items.

AblePlay (www.ableplay.org)
This toy-rating system and Web site offers some pretty comprehensive information on toys for children with special needs. It was created by the National Lekotek Center (http://www.lekotek.org), a non-profit organization that works with children with disabilities and provides parents and professionals with appropriate product information.

According to AblePlay, the site’s independent toy reviews and information go beyond normal product comments. The reviews help adults better understand each toy’s features by explaining the skills that may be improved by using the toy. The toys are listed in disability categories—physical, sensory communicative, and cognitive—and the site’s star-ratings let readers know the products that work really well in a given disability category and the ones that do not.

TFH Special Needs Toys (www.specialneedstoys.com)
TFH Special Needs Toys (formerly Toys for the Handicapped), which started in 1984, considers itself a focused resource for fun products that help people with disabilities to enjoy life and achieve more. The site offers a huge range of special needs toys, broken down into categories such as: noisy toys, building,puzzles, gadgets, moving parts, and moving lights. Many items are very reasonably priced, with higher-end, more complex items available as well.

Dragonfly Toys (www.dragonflytoys.com)
Like the above sites, Dragonfly Toys assembles its catalog based on various categories. These include: basic skills (listen, look); creative skills (making music, arts & crafts); exploring senses (multi-sensory, sound); furniture (play, positioning); games (board games, cards); and hands-on play (amazing mazes, build).

Fisher-Price and Let’s Play! (www.fisher-price.com/US/special_needs)
Fisher-Price, one of the world’s leading toy companies, has entered into a partnership with Let’s Play! Projects, a federally-funded program that supports play and activities for children with special needs. This site offers toys in categories such as: seeing, hearing, manipulating toys, thinking and learning, moving, and talking. According to the project’s literature, the categories emphasize play stages rather than ages “because all children develop at different rates.” These stages include: “The Experience Stage,” in which the child uses his senses to explore the toy; “The Discover Stage,” in which the child finds out what the toy does and what he or she can do with it; and “The Expanding Imagination Stage,” in which the child uses imagination to realize more ways to interact with the toy.

KidScope Toys (www.kidscopetoys.com)
This Online toy store specializes in toys and resources for autistic and special needs children. There is also information for parents, teachers, and therapists, such as informed instruction on product usage. The company, run by child therapists, specially selects toys based on therapeutic and developmental applications. The site’s toy categories include: fine motor, gross motor, construction, language, daily living skills, sensory, and pretend. There are also a variety of helpful autism articles and resources.

Play Works (www.playworks.net)
This Online toy store has a very developed special needs section, run by Christina Wallerstein, the mother of a special needs child. The section is divided into categories: distraction toys, which allow children to remove themselves from stressful situations and be immersed in play; light-up toys, which provide visual feedback and stimulation to both low vision and sighted children; sound toys, which offer: auditory feedback as well as enhance language and motor skills, development of spatial intelligence, and understanding of cause-and-effect; texture toys, which use touch to explore objects and to teach words to describe them; oral-motor toys, which help the development of oral motor skills necessary for eating and speech; and multi-purpose toys, which help with motor, language, and cognitive development.

Fat Brain Toys (www.fatbraintoys.com)
The site is all about finding toys that are best suited to helping people with different abilities to be joyful, challenged mentally, and aided in their development. The experts on this site offer articles, recommended toys , where to go for expanded information, and much more. The categories in this site include: autism, brain injury, cognition, independence, fine- and gross-motor skills, relaxation, socialization, and the sensory activities of sight, sound, and touch.

Looking for items that best suit a child with special needs necessitates a better understanding of those needs and some research. These sites can help you identify the attributes a specific child will need and can match you to a quality toy that can aid in the child’s development and joy.

Editor's Pick: Best of Toy Fair 2008:

Dinosaur Puppets

by Laurence Liss

Of the thousands of toys on the floor of Toy Fair 2008, there were only a few standouts from the point of view of the SafeToys.com editorial staff. Far and away my top pick was a 30-inch dinosaur hand puppet. While the thought of a modern child choosing a puppet over a video game may sound like a stretch, it is not. This isn’t an ordinary puppet. The dino-puppet is the work of a Hollywood special effects artist, and the level of detail is astounding. The toy is made from soft foam-rubber which gives it excellent mobility and makes the movements very life-like. Each dinosaur puppet has supports in its legs which allow it to stand even while the operator rests his or her arm in the puppet.

These toys should be available in stores later this year. Currently the toys come in Tyrannosaurus Rex, Spinosaurus, Ceratasaur, and Triceratops models, but a Velociraptor model and Pterodactyl model are in the works.

I like these toys for a few reasons. The most important reason being that they are dinosaurs and dinosaurs really don’t get old. I have had toy dinosaurs on my desk at every job I have worked and continue to keep them close at hand. Beyond the mere cool factor of prehistoric monsters, I also appreciate the fact that the toy requires a child to play with it. Many of the toys on the market now utilize technology to the maximum extent: they talk, they move, and occasionally think, for themselves. While these toys are sometimes fun, I do not find them to have any longevity. Further, more parts, batteries, and complicated gadgets simply means more things to break. But Puppetoys Extinct line of dinosaur puppets don’t have any moving parts. They can’t become obsolete and they require imagination.

There is also one particular concept that was presented to me by Michael Maddi, the creator of these excellent toys. He pointed out that many children have access to their parents’ video cameras. Many new computers come with web-cams, and many digital cameras have video functions. All of which leads to HOME-MADE DINOSAUR MOVIES! Need I say more.

SafeToys.com wants to see your child’s dinosaur films. Post them to YouTube and email links to us. We’ll link to the best entries and show them on our site.

In The Business:

Safety and More with People Who Sell Toys

by Daniel Sean Kaye

While the fallout from last year’s recalls continues, sometimes it’s nice to step away from the cries of the media and talk with people really involved with the business. It’s not that the news is wrong about the issues—lead and choking hazards are not minor issues—it’s just that there are a lot of good people involved with the toy industry working hard to offer high-quality toys.

Nico & Zoe (www.nicoandzoe.com), also known as Nico & Zoe Toys, is a two-mom, online business run by Stacy Harbour-Van Hoy and Pamela McCarty. The duo runs the entire operation from Web site design, to toy buying and shipping.

The site, which went live November 2006, first began when Pam had the idea to make soft dolls. “I wanted to do something new,” says her business partner, Stacy. “We had always talked about going into business together. Toys were an easy decision. We both have children and love to shop,” says Stacy.

The company’s goal was to offer high-quality, small-production toys available at one location. “As parents, we are always on the lookout for quality, locally made, funky toys, while still getting a good value for your money,” Stacy says. The toys sold by Nico & Zoe are from small companies and are included on a few key criteria: “an interesting story, good design, and of course, creativity and fun,” says Stacy.

When last year’s recalls began, the Stacy and Pam took a serious look at the business. “We checked in with our toy companies to be sure that the certificates of testing were in place, and all was free and clear of harmful chemicals or questionable processing,” Stacy says. “We have pretty high standards, as parents and toy retailers.” If a toy had questionable origins or processes, it was cut from the line. “Luckily, we have made wise decisions thus far, and none of our toys have been deemed unsafe,” says Stacy.

Being that all the companies Nico & Zoe work with are small and family-owned, Stacy feels her customers have less reason to worry than with large companies with ambiguous manufacturing methods. “If we have any question or concern about the method or factory in which [a toy is] produced, we just won’t carry it. It’s not worth the risk,” she says, adding that the company prefers to market toys meeting the European Union standard of safety, which Stacy feels are “ the highest standards around.”

While 2007 negatively impacted many companies involved with toys, Nico & Zoe had a good year even with the main promotion was word of mouth.

Now, Nico & Zoe are expanding, adding to their inventory, building their relationships, and bringing new products aboard. “We are always on the hunt for new and interesting toys to add to our collection,” Stacy said.

U.S. Made Toys (www.usmadetoys.com), is also an Internet-based family business. Live for five years, the company distributes items made in America only.

According to Tim Cooke, a partner in the business, the idea of a company that sells U.S.-made products exclusively came from a trip to a popular theme park where very few toys were made in this country.

After several months of research, the company was able to bring together a wide variety of toys made in the U.S. There are approximately 150 items for sale on the site and all are made in the U.S. According to Tim, if the item contains even one component made overseas, it is plainly stated within the product description. When the site began, it was the only retail company specializing in U.S.-made toys, he says.

Last year’s recalls didn’t negatively affect U.S. Made Toys. “Since all the products we carry are made in the U.S., and all of the recalls were for items made overseas, we did not have to do anything with our products themselves,” says Tim. “We did have to answer question upon question about where each toy was made and by whom and with what. In the past, it seemed few people cared. Now, some people wanted to know where every stitch of every doll came from.”

Tim says that while the recalls were painful for the industry, he was happy to see people really begin paying attention. In fact, in response to all the questions people asked, U.S. Made Toys added a page on the site specifically dedicated to product safety information.

As a distributor, Tim says the most important way to ensure safety is to continue working only with trusted companies. “As much as we’d like to, we don’t have the resources to visit all our vendors. However we have had conversations with all, regarding safety issues. Most of our vendors have independent safety testing done to verify that the materials they use are safe and to U.S. standards,” says Tim.

Like Nico & Zoe, last year was very busy for U.S. Made Toys. “For a while, the demand outpaced our capacity to fill orders,” says Tim, adding the site had to stop taking orders for a week in December to catch up.

While today the site continues to carry the classics, Tim says it is variety that keeps people coming back. “We’ve added several new items to the site over the last week, and will be working through the summer on other new products including some exclusive offerings,” he says.

Educational Products That are Fun!:

Try these books and games for your child

by Daniel Sean Kaye

Suggest to your child that they read something educational or play a game that’ll teach them something and you may as well have asked them to kiss their great aunt.

Luckily though, there are several absolutely terrific series of entertaining, smart, and engaging educational books and games out there just waiting to be discovered. Is your child interested in space, animals, the ocean, science, or history? Here are more than a few suggestions of books that can foster that interest.

Scholastic First Discovery
(Scholastic, $5.99 each)
Like the title of this series would indicate, these books are terrific introductions to many subjects young children find interesting. There are books on night creatures, penguins, the universe, and much more, all written in brief pops of information that are surrounded by kid-friendly illustrations. The books are easy to understand, have some transparent pages with pictures, and definitely will entice children to learn even more about the topics. Even adults (I speak from experience) will pick them up for a refresher.

Reader’s Clubhouse Series
(Barron’s, $3.99 each)
These books for beginner readers focus on teaching reading to children in preschool to Grade 1, through an assortment of stories and facts about subjects that interest them. The books focus on phonics through stressing vowel sounds, both short and long. The illustrations complement the text and each book offers activities as well as resources to continue the learning. There are fun, humorous titles with cute characters and other books that focus on science and nature.

“American Girl” books
I can’t say enough good things about American Girl book series. The range of topics is inspiring and the care with which they put together smart, entertaining, empowering books for young girls makes me very happy. Of course, there are the historical books based on girls of different eras and ethnicities that weave young women of a certain age throughout time. There are also the “Coconut and Licorice” books (featuring cute and cuddly pets); smartly written mysteries; colorful and fun-filled activity books; and do-it-yourself products. My favorite books are the ones that seek to empower young girls, with information about health and “real” beauty, as well as feelings, family and friends. The dolls and movies are fine, but dig deeper and you’ll find a treasure trove of books you’ll be proud to give to your daughter.

Scholastic Question and Answer Series
(Scholastic, $6.99 each)
These 24 books surround subjects children must study in school (and may even find interesting in real life). The text is written clearly, answering dozens of questions quickly—some with just a sentence or two. That means kids can pay attention and learn things without being bored by elaborate answers. There are also plenty of illustrations that serve both as explanations and entertainment. The books don’t shy away from some of the cruelty and ugliness in the world, but offer understandable reasons for such truths. Some of the most intriguing titles include: “Can It Rain Cats and Dogs?” and “Why Don’t Haircuts Hurt?” to “Can You Hear a Shout in Space?” and “Do Whales Have Bellybuttons?” The topics really do touch on a variety of interests—animals, dinosaurs, bugs, oceans, the human body, endangered species and much more. 

Brain Quest
(Workman)
Part education part game, these quizzes tackle subjects in fun and sometimes challenging manners. The bookmark-shaped flashcards (held together by a grommet) ask a question on one card and provide the answer of the next. The decks come in many levels for a variety of ages and can be used as either a refresher or a playful competition. Subjects include: 1,500 Questions That Challenge the Mind (for Grades 1-7); math and reading specific; toddler/young children (for ages 2-6); American History; Black History; Hispanic America; and the presidents. They are so popular some kids even collect them.

Obviously, there are tons of educational books, games, and more out there. To me, it isn’t always a matter of one being better than another, as much as it is that there are educational and non-educational products availalbe. Instead of just grabbing the newest, most-colorful product featuring a talking cat, monkey, or robot, go to the educational series section of the book/toy store to see if you can find a product that supports a topic in which your child has shown an interest. Whether it is sports, music, the arts, science, history, geography, astronomy, religion, a trade, animals, nature, dance, film, stories, or any other number of subjects, find products that excite and challenge them in gentle ways. Remember that you are not just keeping them happy for an afternoon, you are helping to build them a future.