Luckily, choosing safe, lead-free products and toys has never been easier and many can be ordered online and delivered right to your door!
Here are some tips for choosing lead-free toys and products:
- Do your homework! Research, Google, ask questions.
- Look for sustainable products with recycled materials.
- Double check wood items. Ensure any paint and/or colouring is lead-free.
- See what you can create with items you have around your own home. Flower pots, old dressers, etc, can all be re-purposed into something fabulous!
- Support local/independent artisans and entrepreneurs.
- Buy open-ended materials so they can be utilized in a variety of ways and through the ages.
- Less is more! A few good quality items are better than bins of chemical-laden materials
I encourage you to take this time to really reevaluate the items in your children have daily contact with. With the change in seasons upon us, clean out and clean up what you can – your body and mind with thank you.
Lisa Cheaney- Hogan, MEd., OCT, BEd., BASc, ECE, lives in Ontario, Canada.
