Melissa & Doug

I pretty much like any product Melissa & Doug comes out with.  I have several puzzles (farm, pet, and safari animals, 51 piece floor puzzle of the United States) and two boxes of wooden blocks my daughters got for Christmas last year.  My oldest daughter has also played with the magnetic dress up dolls and enjoyed that.  The products are wooden and high quality.  Most products have a low rating on HealthyToys.org, although I found a few (specifically the plush/stuffed toys) that have medium ratings.

We also have the Melissa & Doug responsibility chart for my 3 year old.  We use some things that she can already do independently (like brush teeth and get dressed) for freebie smileys, and then a couple things that she is working on (like no complaining/whining, keep hands/feet to yourself, and my favorite house rule LISTEN & DO which we wrote on the extra empty magnet).  We review her behavior at the end of the day, and she has to earn a certain number of smileys by the end of the week in order to get a reward.  Rewards vary from a new book, puzzle, DVD, trip to the zoo or movies, or spending special time with a certain parent doing something fun…like a bubble bath with mommy or playing a board game with daddy.  The daily smiley reward and the end-of-week reward system has worked well for us.

Healthy Toys

I came across the link to HealthyToys.org in one of my speech-language pathology magazines since we use toys for therapy all the time.  I was immediately impressed by this site and their mission to inform consumers about the chemical toxins in toys and children’s products.  By toxins I’m not only talking about lead, but other chemicals such as chlorine, arsenic, mercury, bromine, and cadmium.  We are all aware of the numerous recalls due to lead in children’s toys, but who knew about all of these other chemicals in the plastic products we purchase?

HealthyToys.org has tested more than 1,500 products and you can search toys by brand and by type.  You will get an overall rating on a toy of low, medium, or high to help you rate the level of chemicals in a particular toy.

I also read the information provided on “Chemicals of Concern”, more specifically about chlorine (PVC) and phthalates.  I was surprised to find that this chemical is not only in our children’s toys, but in numerous other products like personal care items (soap, shampoo, hair spray, deodorants, nail polish, and fragrances).  You may have actually heard about this in the news recently because in February 2009,  Congress put a ban on childcare products and children’s toys that contain six phthalates in amounts greater than 0.1%.

Fortunately all the toys we’ve purchased, except for about two, are fine.  I especially believe that wooden toys such as blocks and puzzles (like those made by Melissa & Doug) are about the best toys out there, not only developmentally but for your children’s health too.

This information led me to do further research on personal care products.