Buying 'Made in America' toys

by Sandy Maple (Subscribe to Sandy Maple's posts) Aug 29th 2007 2:03PM

Categories: Places To Go, Health & Safety, Toys & Games

It seems that not a day goes by that we aren't being warned of yet another children's product tainted with toxic lead. Almost every time, the toy in question was manufactured in China. And while Chinese officials say they are working on the problem, and Congress is moving to enact tougher penalties against those who import contaminated goods, I still think my Chinese-made toy buying days are just about over.

Of course, all the cool toys that kids want are made in China, right? Not necessarily. There are plenty of American toy manufacturers selling safe and fun toys that aren't covered lead paint. You just have to know where to find them.

This website lets you search for sources for all kinds of products made in America. Or just browse the categories from automotive to pets and everything in between. Toys Made in America has a long list of links to American toy companies as do U.S. Made Toys, Shop for America, and Zebulon USA .

I know I am not the only concerned about the safety of the products on the shelves of the stores where I shop. Where do you look to buy safe toys and other products for your family?

Source

Comments (10)

Reader Comments (Page 1 of 1)

Sarah 8-29-2007 @ 2:58PM

thank you for these links. We have very few toys of the kind that are often recalled (plastic, painted) but I have been checking everything we have and am honestly considering getting rid of anything that is both plastic/painted and made in China. The problem is what to do with them! I don't want to donate potentially dangerous toys...but throwing them in the garbage just in case they are dangerous seems wasteful, too.

I think I am just going to be even more careful in the future about what we buy and need to tell others that we won't be accepting certain kinds of toys as gifts---more books please!

Am I over-reacting?

Faith 8-29-2007 @ 6:05PM

When I was growing up we always tried to "Buy American" but that was because my dad was a labor organizer for ACTWU (American Clothing and Textiles Workers Union.) Somehow "buying American" to support American labor became passe after NAFTA (North American Free Trade Agreement) and the like. Well here we are, inundated with cheap, affordable toys and now no one wants to buy them. You know, when things were made in America, they were more expensive, because we pay our labor force more and enforce more quality control standards. You get what you pay for.

LS 8-29-2007 @ 6:40PM

Awesome post. Thanks. I've been trying hard to Buy American, which means that I can't even drive PAST Wal-mart (has anyone else noticed that the minute Sam Walton died, the whole "Made in U.S.A." campaign that WM had going died with him?).

It is extremely difficult. Whooda thunk that the quintessential American Product, Levi Jeans, would NOT be made in America. So thanks again for making my job a little easier.

Kris 8-29-2007 @ 8:24PM

I buy Canadian made toys even though I live in the US. They have pretty strict standards...more so than the US.

Ian 8-29-2007 @ 8:33PM

Thanks for the post. I share your concerns regarding the large number of recalls and warnings we are receiving about toys that are made in China.
I have seen manufactures now advertising their toys as 'Made in USA' (search Amazon for 'Made in USA' to get the idea). It would be great to see a resurgance of locally made products (not just toys!), as I think that corporate greed has caught up with a lot of the manufactures, who are starting to realise that saving every last dollar does not always keen their customers happy.

Ian
http://babyrecommend.com/

pam 9-07-2007 @ 8:51PM

our company has a wide variety of american made toys
www.ourgreenhouse.com

and European too (which also have stricter standards)

joan 9-10-2007 @ 12:37PM

I would like to have other grandparents who buy toys and baby things for there grandchilden to NOT buy them unless they are made in America. If we don't buy the China and other countries toys maybe they will get the message that we want SAFE toys and baby things.

Sandy 10-31-2007 @ 12:22AM

Here is a very helpful website if you are looking for American made toys:

http://americanmadetoys.googlepages.com/americanmadetoys

Stephen 11-18-2007 @ 7:15PM

I can't believe the lack of manufacturer attention to this, especially from those that don't make goods in China. If my stuff was made elsewhere I'd post that fact all over my web site and advertising. If I was a retailer, I'd have signs pointing out every toy not made in china as well. Of course, those toys would fly off the shelves.

It's hard to find sites that help you find non-chinese toys. I've found a few, like www.toys-without-china.com, and the site mentioned above. FAO has a country search, but who can afford $300 for a stuffed bear?

Inger 11-18-2007 @ 8:22PM

Another thing to remember is that some stuff says "made in America" but what they really mean is "assembled in America." Many or all of the parts can still be made in China and other countries with the "made in USA" label. So read very carefully!

How To Submit Photos:
If you'd like your children (any age will do!) featured on ParentDish, upload photos into the ParentDish Flickr Pool. Be sure to read our main Flickr page for more information.