How do you determine safe (non-poisonous) toys for small children?

Question

Nowadays a good portion of seemingly quality products from known makers are manufactured in China (as I read see based on reading the labels). There are some info regarding the occassional dangerous materials used in making/painting the toys.

How do you choose a toy? Do you use pure wooden toys, or check for on-market time of the specific product? How about relatively anonymous products?

Answer 1

In the US, the Consumer Product Safety Commission keeps track of toys that have been recalled (or are recommended for recall) based on things like lead in paint, choking hazards, etc. Not sure how useful this would be in your country but I'm betting there is a lot of overlap with childrens' toys between our two countries. :)

We personally choose toys based on (a) how likely it is to be chewed, (b) where it was made and how much information is available about sourcing, and (c) if it's wooden and painted, we usually try to do a scratch test to see how easily the paint comes off.

There are also lead testing products out there that will tell you how much lead is in a particular product. Consumer Reports had an article comparing the accuracy of different lead test kits a few years ago.

Answer 2

I always check the product safety label of the toy, to give me an assurance that the toy is safe for my child and age-appropriate, as well. I also consider the guidelines set by CPSC in choosing toys, such as:

1. Toys made of fabric should be labeled flame retardant or flame resistant
2. Stuffed toys should be washable
3. Painted toys should be covered with lead-free paint
4. Art materials should say nontoxic.
5. Crayons and paints should say ASTM D-4236 on the package, which means that they've been evaluated by the American Society for Testing and Materials.

http://kidshealth.org/parent/growth/learning/safe_toys.html