In light of Thomas recall, which companies sell all-natural US made toys?

[caheinz]

Whittle Shortline (http://www.woodentrain.com/) is a good one for trains and other vehicles.

We may have to get some of those... they're a little $$, though.

[brittone2]

As you already know, it is tough to find stuff made exclusively in the US. I think we're going to increasingly stick to the reputable Euro brands when possible, especially for DD who is young enough to chew things. Most of her stuff is Haba, but of course, she still gets into DS's stuff at times.

Selecta is still mostly made in Germany, as is Haba.

There's the WAHM stuff too. I'm sure there are others, but that's what comes to mind.

[katydid1971]

What an awesome site!!!!!! I have bookmarked it because I REFUSE to buy anymore thomas trains. Plus we drive by the trains a lot and there are a bunch of the same trains that we see. I like them so much better than Thomas. Again thanks sooo much!!!!
Sarah

[new_mommy25]

TC Timbers is made in Germany by Haba and just happens to be on sale right now at Maukilo.
http://www.maukilo.com/train-sets.html

Here are a few other US made train sites
http://www.woodentrain.com/
http://store.woodenrailwayadventures.com/madeinusa.html
http://www.choochootrack.com/
http://www.maplelandmark.net/nametrains/nametrains_wrs.lasso

[marchmommy]

Thanks for all these posts--actually, my DS has now recently outgrown his interest in trains, so I'm looking for companies/sites that sell all natural (no lead! no phthalates!) toys for boys and girls, all sorts of things for creative play. (My DD loves babies, and both DD and DS love dinosaurs, and blocks, and pretend play of other kinds.) Thanks!

[MarisaSF]

I was pretty disappointed recently looking for US made toys in a toy store. I already knew that Melissa and Doug (great selection and fun toys) was made in China. However, I was really disappointed to see how many Haba things were also made in China; not all Haba is made in Germany - check the labels cafefully.

I was specifically looking for wooden baby toys and found a few US Made ones by Manhattan Toy.

[ett]

> However, I was
>really disappointed to see how many Haba things were also made
>in China; not all Haba is made in Germany - check the labels
>cafefully.
>

Really? That is very disappointing. We have a good number of Haba toys and I always assumed they were made in Germany. I'll be sure to check the labels carefully now. Thanks for letting us know.

[smilla653]

Thanks for posting. Like other PPs, most of our toys are wooden toys from Europe EXCEPT the stupid Thomas trains. I was never very happy having them in the first place, but BRIO moved their production to China by the time we started buying trains for DS. It is nice to see alternatives out there. Now if only they would carry them in the toy stores IRL.

[annmcnam]

I have not been buying toys, or other products made in China as a matter of fact, for a long time. I've deffinately been spending a bit more $$ on toys made in the US or Europe, but I can give them to Lydia without having to worry what's in them. Even a lot of the "European Toy Sites" sell toys made in China, but at least they tell you where they are made, so you have a choice.

[kcimato]

I agree. That site is awesome. Love those trains b/c they are realistic.

[marchmommy]

I am very upset about the Thomas recall, for a long time, that's all I bought since my DS loved Thomas; my little DD played along with him, and used to always put the trains in her mouth. I buy organic food, breastfed, watch everything my kids eat, and now this. So, if I want to stop buying toys made in China, where can I buy toys? I don't even know if I can trust all those Melissa and Doug toys which are covered in similar paint. There's Little Colorado, any one know of any other sites/catalogs that 100 percent only sell U.S. made toys with all-natural materials???

[Lolagirl]

I'm bumping this thread because I'm thinking of getting the TC Timbers train set from Maukilo for my boys' birthday (they will be two.) Has anyone else bought this train set, and what did you think about it? Does anyone know if it's compatible with Brio and Thomas trains? I really don't want to get my kids any Thomas trains for the time being, but since they love them so much I'm sure they'll find their way into my house anyway (thus my concern about compatibility.)

Thanks!

[KBecks]

http://www.barclaywoods.com/

I'm pretty sure these are American made and very natural. There was a natural toy guru here who originally recommended the barclay blocks. I don't think she's active anymore, but you could/should search on this topic and hopefully you will find more ideas.

[ilovetivo]

marchmommy -

Can I ask what you mean by similar paint? Ugh, another thing to worry about

> I don't even know if I can trust all those Melissa and Doug toys which are covered in
>similar paint.

[brittone2]

if you want to check existing toys. DS has quite a bit of M&D food, and I don't want to take it away from him, although I'm not sure how much more we'll buy from that company at this point. I couldn't test every single item, but I did test a few items with the lead kit we picked up (and a few trains and old toys that once belonged to DH) and they all came out negative.

It is cost prohibitive to test everything, but if you are interested, they come 2 to a pack, and each can be used up to 2 times (I believe that's what the directions said). They were hard to find in the store, but we eventually tracked them down in the paint dept. We also spotted the detection kits at an independent paint store that sells Benjamin Moore.

[ilovetivo]

Thanks Beth, good idea. I have 2 kits i can use. I'm also going to call M&D and see what they've done to insure safety since all the recalls.

Are you not getting more M&D b/c it's from China/the China recall issues?

[marchmommy]

I just saw this reply to my original post--yes, M & D is made in China, and I read that it's the red and yellow paints that were particularly problematic with the Thomas recall, so these toys worry me. That said, I still have M & D toys in my children's play kitchen, and they play all the time with the M & D animal ark. Did you or anyone else ever contact M & D to find out what they have done to test their toys?

[ilovetivo]

i didn't call them yet. But i did test all my m&d toys (pizza, boxed food set, music intrumnents) and they all turned out ok. I had a strange test though. They were strips of paper, not the tube looking test.

[daisymommy]

AHA!!!
http://www.stillmadeinusa.com/toysngames.html

[ett]

Wow! What a great website. I'm bookmarking this one. I never knew there were so many cool toys still made in the US.

[ilovetivo]

I just called them and they said:

We've always tested our products, not just now with the lead issues.

In their factory in China, they're all M&D employees there. They talk to corporate on a daily basis

During production, they pull products at random throughought production - they make sure they get multiples in each batch.

They test on site (in the production facility) for lead, formaldehyde, sharp edges, choking hazards, quality etc.

They've also have their products tested at a 3rd party lab

[firsttimer]

http://www.woodstocktoys.com/Sale%20page.htm

He says his toys are non-toxic and lead-free. I have a couple and will buy more this fall when I see him at an art show.

[Percycat]

I highly recommend the Whittle Shortline Railroad. We live in the St. Louis area, where they have one of their stores. The whole environment is kid/train friendly. In fact, it seems most people come to the store for play dates and then wind up shopping. The store is housed in an old train depot and the entire first floor is covered with a huge train table big enough for several (15?) kids and a few smaller train tables. We had my son's birthday party there last year in the private party rooms upstairs. The large table with cutout holes in the center of the table for kids to pop through and play could accomodate 18 childres. My son and his friends had a blast.

We are Thomas fans and will still continue to buy Thomas dispite the recall. My children don't eat their toys and I am extremely impressed with the way R2C has handled the recall. But, I am also probably going to buy the Whittle Shortline "Little Engine That Could" set of cars this year for my son's Christmas present.

If you are ever in the St. Louis area, check out this store. You will have a fun time.

[KBecks]

I am considering a Schoenhut toy piano (heard about them here a while ago) for the boys. They are painted or finished, so it may be worthwhile to email them about their coatings safety if that concerns you.

But I'm happy it's a quality American made musical toy!

http://www.toypiano.com/

I am also checking on Remo drums.

[lead_dr]

Hey parents,

My mommy friend in Texas introduced me to this forum.

I am an inventor and she wanted me to contribute.
Recently, I was on ABC's American Inventor.

alright, enough about me.
I created

www.leaddr.com

for parents to be educated on the ABC's of lead poisoning.
includes medical, political, and business side.

The truth is that mostly all toys are made in China.
But don't be scared. Go to our website and we have steps how to decrease that fear such as registering for the toy recall list.

also, when in doubt, get a lead test kit.

i am looking for parents who want to contribute to our grass root site. hope this helps.

[brittone2]

we picked up a small pack today and they are made in the USA. I thought they would also make a nice stocking stuffer. The wax is petroleum derived, but I know my DS doesn't chew on them so it isn't too big of a deal, and I really don't let the baby have them.

http://www.wikkistix.com/

[brittone2]

look cool.

http://www.tagtoys.com/

i've considered a gear set for DS before but they are usually plastic. I'm loving this site...too bad most of our shopping is finished for DS/DD.