A recent LA Times article proclaims..... Plastic may not be so fantastic for kids.
Great... some of the first toys an infant, mine included, receives, it seems, are made of the soft plastic that is softened by chemicals in question, phthalates. You know, rubber duckies and
soft plastic or vinyl toys, supposedly suitable for chewing?
It turns out these may not be the best choice. Phthalates used to soften the hard plastic used to manufacture these toys …has been shown to damage the kidneys, the liver, and sex organs in animals ...and may cause developmental delays not yet identified. Another worry? What's that he's chewing right now....but wait!
OK, time to back up. In 1999 phthalates were banned in The European Union for use in toys. Many, if not major toy manufacturers in the US have followed suit and are using different softening agents…sometimes natural ones. So, chances are something you bought for your young child is fine. But, that old rubber ducky you played with as a child might be suspect…are you OK?
Scientific strides and greater information dissemination have made us a safer society overall. But, each day it seems we learn about a new potential hazard. It can be exhausting, especially for new moms. Phthalates have been eliminated but what other plastic additive will next be found to cause harm?
While I don’t think it’s time to panic and ban all toys from your home, giving infants carefully boiled tree bark on which to chew, it does make sense to be cautious when purchasing plastic toys, especially for infants and “gnawers” of preschool age.
Better choices might be wooden and fabric toys (preferably made in the US or Europe). Great gifts for babies and young children can be found at many of the web sites mentioned here and at the sites below with great selections for babies:
Earthy Baby Mama
Ecowise
Playcottage
Myriadonline in the UK
Also stop by my friend, Jennifer’s place, Eco-Child’s Play for more great ideas!
Read more of my posts on where and how to buy safe, quality toys here
Read more on Phthalates here and here and here too!
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Saturday, September 15, 2007
Dangerous Plastic for Kids- Why Natural May Be Better
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1 comments:
And don't forget plastic tableware! We bought little wooden spoons for our kids when they were babies -- the ones you can find for condiments are a good size. Now they use kid-sized metal forks and spoons that we picked up at IKEA, I think they might have been sold as condiment items as well.
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