Last year’s scandals about lead levels in toys were really a wake-up call for many of us. Toy safety became serious business, and while you can always turn to resources like our Safer Toy Guide (and a new one coming out soon!) what’s a Mama who just wants to go shopping to do? Are the days of just browsing and buying over?
Au contraire, my cautious friends. Check out No Strings Attached Toys, an online and brick-and-mortar store that really gets how important it is to us to know that safe toys are truly safe. Every single item they sell is personally tested for lead with the same kind of big deal $30,000 machine used by customs agents. You’re not going to find really unique or indie toys at No Strings Attached just yet, but they do carry popular brands like Melissa & Doug and Manhattan Toy.
Their commitment to child toy safety is so strong, they’ll even test any questionable toy you bring in to their Syracuse area store for free. And they’ve launched a companion site listing lead-free toys for your reference, as well. What a concept — a big store that actually gets it. –Mir
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Congratulations to Jennifer B, winner of the M&D Ice Cream Parlor Set!
this is a pretty cool looking toy that my baby would love and not only that..it safe!!
Melissa & Doug toys aren’t totally lead free. They have a statement on their site saying this “we specifically test our paints and coatings very frequently, to be sure our toys meet or exceed government recommendations limiting heavy metals and lead in children’s items”. Key word is “limiting” meaning that there is still lead and/or toxic chemicals in their products, but at a safe limit. I want 100% lead and heavy metal free products.
Thanks Kelly. It’s likely that the products made by M&D carried by this shop meet their criteria for lead content, limits significantly below US standards. They list their test results for every product carried there so feel free to take a look.
Also, Jennifer Taggert of thesmartmama.com has a lead tester and is no softie on toy companies. Here she writes about never having found lead in Melissa and Doug toys in her experience.
https://www.thesmartmama.com/melissa-doug-folding-princess-castle-review-and-giveaway/
But we’re happy to look into it some more.