As we are becoming more and more green, all kinds of eco-friendly practices are becoming trendy. It’s now cool to recycle, shopping for organic food is chic, and ‘old skool’ fashion is now ‘new skool’.
Even parents have plenty of opportunities to make “green” buying decisions these days, from groceries to packaging to diapers. But does this new green mode of thought apply to kids and their toys? As with other walks of life, doesn’t plastic rule supreme? Plastic is the way to go isn’t it?
Toys made from plastics use non-renewable sources and can be difficult to recycle. Every bit of plastic that has ever been made still exists. It may have crumbled into small particles but it will never biodegrade.
Although some plastics can be recycled most actually require additional plastic to be added for recycling to be possible. Back in 1999 soft plastic teething rings, and other chewable plastic baby toys, were banned due to the content of potentially dangerous phthalates. Tests have shown that large amounts of phthalates, used to make PVC pliable, can cause damage to kidneys, liver and testicles. Makes you think twice about buying your baby gifts doesn’t it?
Not surprisingly many parents are now choosing traditional, wooden toys for their baby and kids toys. Traditional wooden toys are quickly becoming very fashionable as parents try to minimise their child’s exposure to potentially harmful materials and environmental awareness grows.
Purchasing natural, wooden toys made from sustainable resources means you’re not buying newly-manufactured plastics and all the petroleum by-products they entail. These toys are so durable that they will be in great condition when your child outgrows them, meaning you’ll recycle them as hand-me-downs.
Wooden toys are made from renewable, sustainable materials and are generally painted bright, appealing colours using non-toxic paint. There are clear health benefits to children due to the absence of phthalates, and there are environment benefits due to the use of renewable resources.
Buying natural, wooden toys means you can feel good about knowing you’re buying green products made from renewable resources, and your child will thoroughly enjoy learning from and playing with them.
So now you can consciously know you are protecting your child and the environment when purchasing the perfect baby gift this Christmas.
Are the Chinese at all worried about the lead paint found in toys?
We’ve all heard the big out cry from the Western world over the lead paint incident but what do you Chinese think.
The fact is, lead is a toxic substance that causes brain damage in young kids and cancer in adults. That is why has been banned form consumer products for over 30 years, so it’s not NEWS that this stuff is bad for the health.
But what do the Chinese think?
Do they think the lead paint is harmless? Aren’t they concerned about their kids handling this substance, and that Chinese products are of such poor and even harmful standards? If the Chinese use it in toys now (30 years after the rest of the world banned it) what else are they using it in (House paint)?
I mean; here is a proven toxic substance that is used in consumer goods in China and thus far we haven’t heard any complaints from the Chinese. Do they think it’s harmless? Are they okay with your kids handling this stuff?
Ok everyone. I’m not sure if you all are even reading the question because many of you are addressing subjects I’m not asking about.
Let me make it clear: I don’t care about why or how lead paint was being used by the Chinese (but thank you for explaining it to us).
I’m wondering why the Chinese aren’t concerned about how these toxic agents being used in toys made for their children. The Americans aren’t just complaining about these the recent incident because they hate “Made in China”, they are complaining because lead causes brain damage in Children, and the question is; why aren’t the Chinese at all concerend about this?
About Author
Clare Smith
www.happykiddies.co.uk
If you're really worried about it, you can take them to the doc and request a heavy metals test, specifically for lead. This entails a blood draw, but it'll at least tell you a definate answer!
I say we quit shipping our factories to china and have them Made here in the USA where they belong. This way we can get the jobs back and ensure that the products are truly being held to our safety standards. Tax the hell out of those corporation that move over sees to make a higher profit. Do they really need a 300 million dollar bonus for their CEO's? No. So what if a Barbie costs 30cents to make in China and 4 dollars here. There is still a big profit to be made. I refuse to buy anything made out of the USA when it comes to my child's toys ever since the recalls. We need to stand up and tell our Government to stop allowing the work to go over sees so they can make it cheap and sell us cheaply made contaminated products. What is happening to our once great nation. Thank You Bill Clinton for NAFTA. It really helped keep the jobs didn't it. I know he isn't the only one to blame. I feel like our hands are tied as citizens. Congress and the corporations are not listening and we need to take a stand and make them listen if it take boycotting everything made somewhere else. Just a thought.
I think it is sick to raise a wild animal like a baby ,they don't stay tame you know ,I saw a show on it ,people have to pull out the moneys teeth to stop them biting their "mothers" fingers off ,leave the poor baby's with their Real mothers …
To do so would perpetrate a deception stemming from an ulterior motive. The only ones who truly pay any tax is the end consumer, who cannot pass it on to someone else. If your goal is to stop kids from getting fat on fast food, make fast food unaffordable by taxing it to death. Depriving citizens of fast food would not make them eat healthier. If you want kids to lose weight, impose higher taxes on ipods, gameboys, cell phones, television sets and couches. Force them to do school work standing up; remove seats from the schools so they aren't sitting all day. Better yet, rescind child labor laws and let them work for their health insurance. Put them to work building happy meal toys for children in other countries with emerging economies. That would kill two birds with one stone as time spent working would also qualify as playtime. Look at the kids on shorpy.com. Busy kids do not get fat.
Best advice, look at http://www.guinealynx.com. They have everything you need to know about guinea pig care.
Quick advice
Cage: check out http://www.guineapigcages.com. Guinea pigs need a lot of space, and they have cheap, easy ways to build a cage that is big enough.
Bedding: there are a lot of choices, and it's entirely a personal choice, but never use cedar, and never use pine, unless it's been kiln-dried. These both contain aromatic oils that are bad for their health. Personally I use fleece in the main part of their cage, it's cheaper than regular bedding, and all you have to do to clean it is throw it in the washing machine. I also use carefresh in their hayloft, since it's easiest to just throw out.
Toys: I wouldn't waste my money on toys bought in a store, some guinea pigs like them, but most don't. The best toys I've found are a small paper bag, a toilet paper roll stuffed with hay, or a cardboard tube used for mailing posters and stuff.
Health Care: start weighing the new piggie daily for a while, to make sure he's gaining weight properly, or at least not losing any weight. As soon as you're sure he's not sick you can go to weighing once a week. Guinea pigs hide the fact that their sick very well, so the best way to tell when they first get sick is to monitor their weight. Also, make sure and find a vet that is good with guinea pigs. Most vets have no clue, but there is a list on guinealynx of vets in different areas who are good.
Treats: Don't buy treats from the store. There aren't any I've ever found that are actually good for guinea pigs. The best treats are small bits of fruit, or a baby carrot.
Diet: Make sure to get a high quality guinea pig pellet. Oxbow or KM's (found at kmshayloft.com) are the best, Kaytee timothy complete will work in a pinch. It has to be a plain pellet with no nuts or seeds. These pose a choking hazard and they're not good for them anyway. They also need unlimited access to timothy hay. My girls have a hayloft on their cage that is constantly filled with huge piles of hay, and they love it! The other part of their diet is fresh veggies. Guinea pigs should get 1-2 cups of fresh veggies per day. Guinealynx also has a list of appropriate veggies, and how much to feed. My girls get 1-2 cups of a mix of red and green leaf lettuce every morning, and again in the evening, along with a couple pieces of kale in the evening and either some cilantro, a baby carrot or some cucumber. Guinea pigs need vitamin C since they can't make it themselves, but as long as you're feeding them a proper diet they should be fine. If you're going to give them a suppliment, don't use vitamin drops in the water! Oxbow makes a vitamin C tablet especially for guinea pigs, or you can use childrens chewable tablets, break them up and only give them about 20mg per day.
As for the hair loss, I would treat him for mites. If you take him to a vet, don't let them do a skin scraping to test for mites, just treat. Skin scrapings are unreliable and painful for the animal, and the treatment won't hurt if there are no mites, but it will help if their are.
Lastly, if you decide to keep him, you should get another. Guinea pigs do best in pairs! They are a social animal, and can get depressed if left alone. You just have to make sure they are either same sex pairs, or one of them is fixed. You can find adoptable guinea pigs at http://www.petfinder.com.
If you have any other questions feel free to e-mail me! I got my two girls, one in January and one in February, and I've done a ton of research on them since then. The guinealynx website is the best info that I've found so far!
Me eat lead paent and me no hav prublems.
Anytime you manufacture in a country without good regulatory agencies, you are going to have this problem whether it is China, Africa, Bangladesh or any other country… If American manufacturers aren't demanding quality assurance in the products they make in foreign countries, no amount of moving around is going to make their products safer. That's why American manufacturers go there in the first place. It adds to their cost when they have to follow government regulations on safety and quality assurance. American consumers have to boycott foreign goods until they are proven safe. That's the only way to get the message across to manufacturers.
I agree with KM if you and the othe staff are getting sick as much as you are how do you think it is affecting the children
"ilovetomato", you actually want him to prove that there was a big controversy over the lead painted toys? How about that massive recall in the US and Europe.
Do you live in a cave or something?
Anyways, I haven't heard any complaints from the Chinese. The problem is their too busy defending China's honor they forget the realities of how harmful lead paint is to children.
Chinese pride is a dangerous thing. I believe in this case they are actually willing to eat lead just to stick their thumbs at the Western world. Basically they're ignoring how important the fact that important safety issues are at hand, and just gun-ho about defending China's name……….very sad.
If this happened in the US, you would have a bunch of angry American mothers going to Washington DC to demand punishment and change. In China the people stand behind their government no matter what the issue is. It's like “yes great leader, I have no voice and I will support you”.
That's why I don't think we're hearing much from the Chinese.
I also feel very bad for all the Chinese who have to live with these products that are produced with such poor safty standard.
To weilongli2003:
Your answer was spoken like a true Chinese; selfish and inconsiderate.
"we don't care because we're not affected….other people and children might get hurt, but we don't care."
For those of you who don't live in China, that quote sums up the very definition of Chinese attitude towards others. No consideration for anyone outside of the inner circle. So sad….. so backwards…..so Chinese.
Gene H: I think you're one of those people that didn't read the question before answering.
You sound like a very good parent. You are fun but not irresponsibly fun . You have passion for your child and you obviously love and like him a lot, but you are not blinded to the fact that sometimes he is a little naughty and as the Mom you reprimand that. (*see the ps)
Your boy knows he is loved and he is safe so, I don't know why you would worry about his future.
You're doing a good job.
You're not perfect- no parent is – but I'd say your close to it.
PS I disagree with the spanking a 9 month old. They are not 'throwing attitude'. Nor do I agree biting your son was the right thing to do, even if it got him to stop, that's violent. He might have STARTED biting because of the spankings since 9 months.
Anyway, I still think you're a great Mom.
Just think you might want to reconsider physical punishment.
I believe, money is the answer. so, it's you decision whether you want to support them by keep purchasing the product or being picky in choosing the health item
Nice little joke at the end. :]
Limit the times they are allowed to eat fastfood have them choose to go out only once a week and by voting so no problems occur. It sounds like they are addicted, it doesn't have to be just sugar, or caffene that someone can get addicted to. Trust me I know, I was additcted to Ramen for three whole months and it ruined my digestive system, if you limit the time their body wont have to rely on it much.
For the homecooked meal,have them vote on a meal they want every day, they get to enjoy what they like and you won't have to fret if you cooked the right meal.
our church is giving away christmas dinners to the homeless.
We were lucky to find that we did not have any of the toys either. I think this is going to be a wake up call for manufacturers. They need to be more hands on with their products. Maybe we should bring all the factories home…start making everything in America again. If that meant higher cost, I would pay more for my children's and my things if it meant they were safer products.
I had those toys in the 90's too. I think the recall is on the newer pollys. I think you will be fine digging up your old Polly Pockets.
No, in matter of fact he makes me feel less safe in this world with his policies.
Very, very difficult to answer.
At least in theory, Thailand is a constitutional monarchy, like all western monarchies. Should the monarch there (in a western country) die, it doesn't have any impact on that nation or it's economy.
But the king has build an enormous personal prestige, much more than any other nation I know of. We have a very good king, and then it's not bad.
The problem is: what next? The subject is taboo unless the king himself starts talking about it. So far, he hasn't.
Nobody is looking forward to see the crown prince on the throne. But unlike other nations, Thailand has both a crown prince and a crown princess. Even if the crown prince is a good man (which some people doubt) he'll find it very hard to replace the king.
Whatever will happen, the succession will be a hot topic. Hoping politicians don't act like little kids is wishful thinking. Far too much is at stake for that. The Royal family is the richest family in Thailand, and that inevitably leads to factions supporting the available pretenders to the throne. Including Taksin.
Both – Wood and Plastic have their own positive and negative points.
People avoid wood to save trees but we can’t say Plastics Eco Friendly. I am in the business of plastic though I personally believe that.