In search of the perfect boy doll

A few months back we started looking at dolls for Christophe and quickly decided that the best doll for him would be a Waldorf style doll.

Before ordering a Waldorf doll we quickly looked at the dolls that were available at all our regular toy stores and was rapidly disappointed to find out that none of them truly carried non-toxic dolls. What we found was a mix of Corolle and plush dolls that were not very realistic looking or other no-name plastic dolls. Many plastic dolls are made with vinyl, a chemical often under scrutiny as soft vinyl's can contain phthalates (PVC). At our locale toy store we were recommended Tidoo from the Corolle collection, the sales rep said that many parents like me that are concerned with the toxicity of toys chose Corolle dolls and Tidoo is a boy doll. I rarely buy anything for Christophe without doing my research so I told them i would look up Corolle and find out if they were truly non-toxic. After a quick search on the net I quickly decided that no Corolle dolls for Christophe. Healthy Toys rate Tidoo as a medium hazard as he contains Chlorine, Bromine, Tin and Antimony ( I don't even know what antimony is but it sounds bad). I will give this to Corolle I don't believe they have ever had a product recalled - that is something to brag about.

Now that the decision was made that we were not buying any dolls that we could find at the various local toy stores we started searching the internet and was determine that we would be spending $100 plus for a custom made doll. Here are some of the highlights that we stumbled across:

(Keep in mind we wanted a white doll with fair hair to match Christophe appearance as best as possible, all these companies make great dolls of all ethnicity and hair skin color mixes)

Clay by Palumba cost $99.99USD plus $24.99USD for clothing.


Jan by Polar Bear Creations cost $130.00 USD.


Chris by isgood cost $125.00 USD ( I have to admit Chris was our favorite ans we almost bought him)


And the winning doll is... we found Karl by peppa at Parenting by Nature. Cost $54.99 CND. We call Karl Bébé .

Toy Thursday - Non-toxic toys

Instead of talking about one toy this week I want to bring up the subject of what is a non-toxic toy. In another post I will look at what makes a toy green; so this post is strictly about chemicals and toxins.

Everyday we make purchases and decisions on behalf of our little ones from what clothing will they wear; to what will they eat; to what will they play with; and everything else they do. Our children are our responsibility and it's up to us to ensure they are safe.

You would think that if a toy has been approved for sale in Canada that it is safe for play; think again everyday toys are recalled. The recalls catch the toys that don't meet the governments standards but are the standards high enough?

Let's look at various toxins that can be found in toys: (because Christophe keeps me extra busy, I am going yo divide this post in sections each one talking about a toxin)

This weeks toxin is - LEAD

We all know lead is bad, it can be found in your water supply, old construction materials, and paint in your home, it has also been known to turn up in painted toys and kids jewelry.

"Scientists have found there is no safe level of lead for children - even the smallest amount effects a child's ability to learn. Children are more vulnerable than adults to lead. Lead impacts brain development, causing learning and developmental problems including decreased IQ scores, shorter attention spans, and delayed learning" 1

Because lead is a natural element it is found in almost everything around us, trace amounts are probably in all toys. What you want is that your toy does not leach lead. Well this should not only apply to toys but to everything in your home; but we are talking about toys.

How do I avoid lead toys, unless you personally test all your toys for lead there is no way of being 100% certain that your child does not own a toy that contains lead but there are ways you can reduce the chance of this happening.

1. avoid buying no-name brand toys
2. avoid buying toys from the dollar store - they are notorious for recalls
3. do not buy second hand toys that have metal bits or paint unless you know the manufacturer. This way you can look up the toy to see if it has ever been recall
4. do not buy metal jewelry - especial cheep jewelry - for young children. Over 20% of children jewelry contain lead.
5. buy a home lead kit test and test some of your toys, the results may surprise you. (I hope that you do not find any lead in your toys buy I would not count on it)
6. my last tip is use your common sens, check up on the company see if they have had recalls in the past for lead, if so how many, how long ago. If the company has a bad reputation and lots of recalls I would personally avoid purchasing from them.

Number 5 said to get a lead paint test kit, these can be purchased at most reputable paint stores.

Additional reading:
Lead saftey in Toys
A third of toys contain detectable lead
Consumer Product Recalls
Product Recalls
Healthy Toys

I leave you with this question: Have you ever had experience with lead in toys? do you have tips on how to help to avoid lead in toys?

1 - Healthy Toys

HealthyToys.org

I think it is absolutly sad that we need a website that helps parents navigate trew all the various azards that comes with choosing a toy for your child. When you are shopping of a toy for your child you should not have to think those this contain lead, cadmium, chlorine, arsenic, bromine or mercury? Those are the chemicals this site will inform you about. The site is still a work in progress therefore it does not have all toys however I was able to find many items Christphe has at home and was very please that the majority of his toys passed the test. However we had one with a red flag - his Whoozit Activity Spiral.

The only thing that would be great is if this site also talked about what toys have BPA, vinyl and Phthalate.