Don't put me in this position again.

If you're a parent, you're probably like me...beginning to wonder if I should let my kids touch any toys. Perhaps a nice stuffed sock to play with would be the safest route.


It certainly would cut down on the toy clutter around the house.


On the one hand, I want to take my children in to our family physician and insist that they be tested for lead poisoning (thank goodness we never bought any Aqua Dots!). On the other hand, I don't want to over-react. Although I'm beginning to think that nothing is overreacting when it comes to these toys.


Those magnet recalls get me too. Didn't they have a big magnet recall a couple of years ago for those Magnetix toys? Why then, would they make Polly Pocket toys with the same type of magnets? I still have Sarge and the Polly Pocket Roller Coaster in my basement. While I'm not holding my breath that I'll ever get the labels to send them back and get credit for them I keep them because it is a lot of money spent to just throw them in the trash. Actually, Miss M bought that roller coaster with her birthday money and was quite upset to find that she could no longer play with what, at the time, was her favorite toy. It still makes me angry to think of the position the toy makers put me in; making me the mean mom who takes her daughter's favorite toy away.

I don't know what the answer is. I'd like to get some sort of testing device to check my kids' toys myself for lead, but even that won't protect them from choking hazards or GHB. What's the next thing that's going to cause a recall? Self-detonating toys?

Perhaps I should just lock my kids in the closet. But then, there could be lead paint in there.

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This post is part of the Parent Bloggers Network Blog Blast about toy recalls. They've teamed up with the Consumer's Union to help get the word out about their "Get the Lead Out" campaign.