Some of you may have noticed some bizarre shipping charges at checkout yesterday, as well as problems putting some items in your shopping cart. My sincere apologies for the glitch. I can't imagine what some of you must have thought when you received an almost $40 shipping charge! I'm actually quite embarassed. {blush} I send out thanks to one customer who called to tell me about the problem(s). Thank you Katherine!
On another, but related note: as many of you are aware, LivingPlaying does not combine coupon codes and the $100 free shipping offer. I ask that you please honor that condition when you are checking out. If you inadvertently use the coupon code when you have placed more than $100 of product in your cart, I will manually re-figure the shipping and discount when your order is processed so that you receive the higher of the two discounts, but not both. Thank you!
And finally, there are some items that require a shipping surcharge because they are heavy or bulky or both (we have a 27 lb item--can you believe that? it's darn heavy). That surcharge is in addition to regular shipping charges. However, if you purchase more than $100 worth of product, you will only be charged the surcharge for the heavy item, not shipping for the rest of the products. Make sense? Excellent. If you have further questions, please check out our Shipping Policies page for more answers: http://www.livingplaying.com/free-shipping.html
That's it! And of course if you have questions about the policy or run into problems on the site, please do call me. I'm more than happy to chat and resolve any problem!
Friday, December 14, 2007
Thursday, December 13, 2007
Parenting Paranoia Club. Membership is Mandatory!
When my son Ryan was about 11 months old, I realized that all mothers have at least one closely-held and largely unshakable Parenting Paranoia. (And I say “at least” because my anecdotal evidence reveals that typically we have more than one.) I came to this realization several years ago as I was driving with a childhood friend and our two children to the Boston Children’s Museum. My friend Ruthie seemed somewhat distracted by the kids in the back. Both kids were securely strapped into their car seats, but she kept turning around to “check,” give her son’s car seat a little shake, and adjust the already secure straps. Earlier that day, she had installed her son’s car seat into my car. She hadn’t been totally happy with the installation, even though to my eye and standards, it was fine. I didn’t think much more about it.
Later, after we were done with the chaos of the museum, and were sitting down to grab a snack, she watched me carefully break apart somewhat soggy french fries and place them in front of Ryan to eat. She looked at me quizzically and said “are you afraid of him choking?” Yes, I admitted somewhat sheepishly. I’d had this fear ever since he started eating solid foods at around 6 months. “The mandible is pretty hard,” she said. “They do a good job of mashing up food if kids don’t have all their teeth in yet.” I knew she was right, but my fear, though not unreasonable, was somewhat paranoid—not unlike her car seat “issue.” She later admitted to me that she fears car seat failure more than most people might feel is healthy.
But paranoia aside, I later was glad to have a fixation on choking—or rather on preventing choking. Several months after the Children’s Museum outing, when Ryan was now 18 months old, I had neglected to cut up all of his grapes, and sure enough, my boy got one stuck in his windpipe. Luckily I knew how to dislodge the grape, and it popped right out. The reason I knew how to help him was because I’d paid especially close attention to the instructions during a mini CPR course I’d taken a few months earlier. Paranoia saves the day!
In all seriousness, though, food isn’t the only choking danger for children.
Toys are labeled “not for children under three” for a reason
We often see age recommendations on the boxes or directions for children's toys. Why are they there? Retailers and manufacturers have good reason to make these recommendations. One obvious reason is to let you know if a toy is developmentally appropriate for your child. He or she will get the most enjoyment out of a product that is specifically made for his or her developmental range. The other reason toys have recommended ages is simply to keep your child safe. Many wonderful toys on the market are perfectly safe for your 10 year old, but not for a child under three. That is because children under the age of three typically explore objects not only with their eyes and hands, but also with their mouths. This type of behavior is developmentally appropriate and not easily discouraged as most parents already understand. In order to keep children safe, toys that contain small parts are labeled "Age: 3+" because they may contain small parts that could get stuck in the narrow throat of a young child and pose a choking hazard. As a general rule, if a toy or toy part can fit in or pass through a toilet paper tube, it is a choking hazard and should be put away until your child has left his or her oral phase behind. If you have older children in the house, toys with small parts should be played with out of the reach of younger siblings or playmates. It is a good idea for parents to look beyond the labeled information, however, and examine new toys for their potential as a choking hazard. And that means not just small parts, but small parts that might break up during the course of play.
Later, after we were done with the chaos of the museum, and were sitting down to grab a snack, she watched me carefully break apart somewhat soggy french fries and place them in front of Ryan to eat. She looked at me quizzically and said “are you afraid of him choking?” Yes, I admitted somewhat sheepishly. I’d had this fear ever since he started eating solid foods at around 6 months. “The mandible is pretty hard,” she said. “They do a good job of mashing up food if kids don’t have all their teeth in yet.” I knew she was right, but my fear, though not unreasonable, was somewhat paranoid—not unlike her car seat “issue.” She later admitted to me that she fears car seat failure more than most people might feel is healthy.
But paranoia aside, I later was glad to have a fixation on choking—or rather on preventing choking. Several months after the Children’s Museum outing, when Ryan was now 18 months old, I had neglected to cut up all of his grapes, and sure enough, my boy got one stuck in his windpipe. Luckily I knew how to dislodge the grape, and it popped right out. The reason I knew how to help him was because I’d paid especially close attention to the instructions during a mini CPR course I’d taken a few months earlier. Paranoia saves the day!
In all seriousness, though, food isn’t the only choking danger for children.
Toys are labeled “not for children under three” for a reason
We often see age recommendations on the boxes or directions for children's toys. Why are they there? Retailers and manufacturers have good reason to make these recommendations. One obvious reason is to let you know if a toy is developmentally appropriate for your child. He or she will get the most enjoyment out of a product that is specifically made for his or her developmental range. The other reason toys have recommended ages is simply to keep your child safe. Many wonderful toys on the market are perfectly safe for your 10 year old, but not for a child under three. That is because children under the age of three typically explore objects not only with their eyes and hands, but also with their mouths. This type of behavior is developmentally appropriate and not easily discouraged as most parents already understand. In order to keep children safe, toys that contain small parts are labeled "Age: 3+" because they may contain small parts that could get stuck in the narrow throat of a young child and pose a choking hazard. As a general rule, if a toy or toy part can fit in or pass through a toilet paper tube, it is a choking hazard and should be put away until your child has left his or her oral phase behind. If you have older children in the house, toys with small parts should be played with out of the reach of younger siblings or playmates. It is a good idea for parents to look beyond the labeled information, however, and examine new toys for their potential as a choking hazard. And that means not just small parts, but small parts that might break up during the course of play.
Thursday, October 4, 2007
Toy Recalls, Holiday Buying and Taking Stock
You’re a parent. It’s almost holiday buying time. Toy recalls seem to crop up in the paper daily. What can you do to ensure that the toys you buy and give are what they say they are—safe, non-toxic and environmentally friendly?
As a toy retailer and a mother, I’ve been thinking about this question a lot. And I’ve been looking around my playroom (and stockroom) and eyeing suspiciously toys that I took a lot of care and—let’s face it, joy—when buying. I love wooden and creative play toys. They are beautiful and well made. Many of them are artful. Some are even designed by architects. My children play for longer and with more imagination with an open-ended toy than a directed-play toy. It used to be that I would only worry about the safety of those hardwood Unit Blocks when they were used as a weapon by my oldest son (okay I still worry about that) but now I have other concerns. And so do you.
When the Thomas the Tank Engine recall was announced in June, I responded by prying those trains out of my 2 year old son’s sticky little hands and then chastising myself for buying the character-driven set in the first place. When the subsequent recalls happened--lead-paint in bibs, boots and other toys and goods that were outsourced for manufacture in China—the vast scope of the problem began to dawn on me. After the first waves of panic subsided, I drew up a plan to tackle what felt like an overwhelming problem. I’m sharing it here with you so that you can feel more confident and in control about what you already own, and what you may buy in the future. Nothing is ever 100%, but taking steps to minimize the potential hazards that our children are exposed to is not only common sense, but puts some control back in the consumer’s hands.
Here is my list of action items a parent can do now:
Take Stock of Your Playroom—But Not Just the Toys
It might take you a while, but go through the toys, games, art supplies and furniture that your children use. Now is a good time to recycle or throw away those that aren’t played with anymore, or are damaged.
Write Down the Names of the Toy Manufacturers
Make a list of the manufacturers that supplied the toys and goods that your children use. Most toys have a brand somewhere on the product. If you can’t find the name of the manufacturer, write a short product description, i.e. toy dog, heart-shaped nose, black button eyes.
Go to the US Consumer Product Safety Commission website
Check to see what recalls are listed on CPSC.gov. On the press release section, scroll down and search by product type, company or product description. Are any of your toys or other products on the list? If so, take appropriate action. The CPSC website should have specific information on what to do. Next, look at the recent toy recall announcements. Cross match that against the list of manufacturers that are in your playroom. Even if the specific toys aren’t in your playroom, make note of the one’s with violations. Finally, sign up for the recall email announcements from CPSC at http://www.cpsc.gov/cpsclist.aspx. You will have the latest toy recall information sent directly to your mailbox.
Call the manufacturers and ask the right questions
Of the manufacturers on your list, call first those that are represented in your playroom and that have recalled products. The list of questions below will help you assess the standards by which they make their toys. Note that the European (EN 71) testing standard is more rigorous than the American testing standard.
- Where are your products manufactured? If in China, do you own your own manufacturing plant? Or do you utilize independent Chinese manufacturers?
- Do you perform lab testing on all of the colors, chemicals and plastics that you purchase from your suppliers? To what level (i.e. 100%)? How often? Who does the testing?
- Do you select random samples of finished products from your inventory for a third party lab to test? How often?
- Do you have third-party test reports for all products by type and model? Which standards do you use? EN 71 (European) or the American Standard?
- Will you supply those test results to consumers if requested?
Buy a lead testing kit and use it
Consumer environmental home-testing kits have been around for years. They are a relatively inexpensive way to do a fast qualitative check for hazardous elements in the home. I purchased several surface lead-testing kits for $9.95 each through Pro-Lab (http://www.prolabinc.com/). These kits are made specifically to test home items such as toys, ceramics, and dinnerware. But a quick Google search for lead surface test kits will give you many options to choose from. The kits I purchased contained 6 non-toxic tests each and gave results in two minutes. The test is qualitative, meaning it gives a yes/no answer, and does not tell you a specific amount of lead present. But it does detect the presence of lead “to as little as 5 parts per million.”
Develop buying criteria for the future that you can live with
Considering that over 80% of the toys sold in the United States are actually made in China, it is almost inevitable that you will either purchase, or receive, a toy made in a Chinese manufacturing plant. Think through your own risk-tolerance level. Are you willing to own toys that are made in China? What about those made in China, but in American-owned manufacturing plants? After doing your own research, are there certain brands that you trust more than others? Is testing your own toys important to you? Do you feel most comfortable purchasing only American-made or European-made toys? (Remember that some toys imported from Europe are also manufactured in China.) What guidelines do you want to give grandparents and other gift-givers this holiday season when it comes to buying products for your children? Having a clear idea of what is and what is not acceptable to you will put some of the control and safety back in your hands.
The good news for American consumers is that the Toy Industry Association (TIA) is proactively working with the Federal Government and the American National Standards Institute (ANSI) and the Consumer Product Safety Commission (CPSC) to create new, more rigorous standards for third-party testing. They are also encouraging the Federal Government to adopt a requirement that all toys sold in the US meet those new safety standards. In other words, the TIA is asking the Federal Government to create standards for toy safety that will now be the law, not voluntary. Perhaps the American toy manufacturers will start to rethink their standards, and remember that although profits are, of course, part of being a business, being greedy at the expense of our children’s safety is a shameful practice.
Jennifer Grinnell
Owner
http://www.livingplaying.com/
Toys and Games for Creative Play
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