Archive for the ‘Toy Safety’ Category

Bank the Green Dividend

Tuesday, October 20th, 2009

The Sunday Times Green List is the benchmark against which businesses can test their green credentials. For the bosses of Britain’s companies the ticket to green credibility comes only if the staff are included on the journey. The contest not only measures efforts to cut the corporate carbon fooftprint, it also seeks employees’ views on how green their company is.  The top 60 green companies of 2009 ranged from blue-chip multinationals to construction companies with a high environmental impact.

Although Green Owl Toys is too small to enter such a competition, we are definately following suite by cutting our carbon footprint. We only import toys from within the EU and all our products are made of natural materials.

The toys are either made of wood, cotton or leather.  These are all materials that are long lasting and a pleasure to touch.  Parents enjoy the thought that our children are enveloped in natural products and not the touch of cold plastic.

By importing these beautiful toys from the EU the company not only minimise the carbon footprint but we can also ensure their safety.  The toys all have passed safety control tests set out by leading European Laboratries. To read more information on the stamps found on toy boxes to ensure their safety please click here.

Posted in Eco friendly products, Toy Safety | 17 Comments »

Which educational toy is best?

Monday, October 19th, 2009

“Which toy to buy?”. “What does he/she want?”  There are many questions going through our heads and especially before Christmas.

Do we just opt to buy the things given to us on a Christmas list or do we choose to buy a toy that is similar but has a lot more to it? A toy that can fire the imagination and become a irreplaceable, rather than a cheap, mass produced toy that is cast aside in days.  It may be the toy is wooden and not plastic, it may be the toy needs to sing or jingle or even have an educational feature.

A wooden toy crafted and polished to present round corners and smoothness is much more pleasant than a synthetic product that has been moulded under heat. For the amount of value you receive from a wooden toy is much more than the slight increase in cost.

There is a growing popularity in educational toys. Toys for a child from birth to Primary school age.  In these first few years children play with many different toys as they grow and learn new things. Not only are they developing their coordination and speech but also their role in society, how to behave and in opening their minds to imagination and creativity. With toys they can learn new things and very importantly practice them. Practicing enhances their self-esteem and confidence to move onto the next step. Some toys need parental input but most (if bought correctly) can be self learnt which is brilliant for our busy lifestyles.

With so many toys that are out in today’s market, it is up to us, the consumer, to make a good decision depending on which quality you think is most important. Keep in mind the following features when shopping next:

  • Safety
  • Educational
  • Durability
  • Design.

Posted in Educational Toys, Toy Safety | 22 Comments »

Cheap Christmas toys but..at what cost?

Tuesday, October 13th, 2009

Not only are manufacturers trying to cut costs but so are we – the consumer! We have contracted out Christmas to the lowest bidder. Which in the case of toys, mostly means manufacturers outside the EU. But what costs do we bare for cheaper toy production? In the past 2 years there have been several scandals where toy manufacturers shipped children’s toys containing lead (even crib toys were found to have lead paint!). I think, what worried the consumer the most is that these toy recalls were carried out by major toy manufacturers with factories in far flung parts of the world.

This doesn’t mean that we can blindly trust toys manufactured within the European Community. However, a factory that is just round the corner is easier to control than one that is thousands of miles away.

The toy industry has experienced a massive growth in the past say 20 years and so have adapted their manufacturing process to accommodate it. Legislation, on the other hand, has not been able to keep up-to-date with the changes until this year. The European Commission has released a new directive in July but will only be in force in its entirety by 2013. The new directive states, “For certain substances like nickel the tolerable limit values have been reduced and those heavy metals which are particularly toxic, like lead or mercury, may no longer be intentionally used in toys.”

The question to ask is how can we be responsible parents and not let our children come into contact with potentially harmful substances in the toys we buy? Well, unless you have a laboratory in your backyard it is pretty difficult to know exactly what the toy is made of! Another more practical way is follow the labels. You can either avoid all products that are labelled “Made in XXX” or choose those products that have reliable test certificates. Each European Union country has their own reliable test certificates and are always shown on the packaging. Please bear in mind the “CE”* mark does not indicate the toy has undergone any tests.

Posted in Toy Safety | 8 Comments »