Feb 18 2009
Handmade Toys: A New Mommy Cause
I don’t know about you, but I often enjoy finding special “one-of-a-kind” toys for my children. I also like to provide playthings that promote a sense of simplicity and encourage creativity by allowing my toddler’s imagination (rather than constant lights and sounds) to come to the forefront when playing. Handmade toys or toys made by small businesses, rather than the toy giants, often fit this goal. This morning, I came across a concern that I’m adding to my Mommy Causes–one that has the potential to greatly affect the makers of these special treasures.
We’ve all shuddered at the headlines in recent years about contaminated toy parts and decorations that have found their way onto store shelves. With concerns about environmental toxins at the forefront of many American’s minds, Mommies, in particular, want to make providing safe toys for our children a top priority. The culprits in many of the toy scares of late have been primarily large toy manufacturers who oursource their production in countries like China where safety requirements are not as stringent.
In an effort to provide greater safety control, the U. S. Congress passed the Consumer Products Safety Improvement Act in 2008. The new guidelines within the law impose more comprehensive restrictions on toy makers, which will also apply to smaller operations as well as many family-trusted hand-made toy craftsmen. Guidelines such as requiring toy producers to procure third-party testing and labeling will mean a burdensome investment for smaller toy makers who don’t have the same revenue flow as larger companies. CoolMomPicks.com provides a great overview with relevant links (and the cool badge I added in the sidebar.)
I encourage toddler Moms out there to review the information and consider ways to offer feedback to lawmakers on this issue. Handmade toys are a time-honored craft in our country (as are small businesses), and the restrictions placed on artisans by this bill may seriously hinder our ability to introduce our children to these treasures.
It’s sad that everyone is punished for the actions of others. We rarely buy toys for our kids anymore.
It seems they are always trying to find ways to hurt the little guy and reward the tycoons. Nobody stops to think about the ones getting the muddy end of the stick - in this situation - our kids.