Not Made In China Help Thread

[kristac]

OK, DH has expressed interest in not buying anything from China this Christmas- easier said then done. I am going through my christmas lists trying to find substitutes for some of the main items.

For instance I really want to get Nathan (6 months) some soft blocks like this:
http://www.kidsurplus.com/itemDetail...romsearch=true
But I can't find anything comparable that is not MIC. Even the haba soft blocks are MIC. Ideas?
Anyone know any stacking cups that are not MIC? I like the discovery toys ones since they are volumetrically correct but I have no idea where they are made.

On the plus side I am finding alot of things for Matthew (3 years) that are not MIC:
magna blocks, working trucks, rody, stomp rocket, some play food by voila and plan toys.
I'm sad that alot of the Mellisa and Doug stuff on his list is MIC. I'm having a hard time replacing the cutting food set.

Please add what you are looking for.

[bubbaray]

We tried this and gave up. We're going with European standards toys as a compromise (Corolle dolls, MIC to European safety standards as an example) where possible (but are still getting MIC stuff where there is no substitute and praying for no recalls).

If you were handy or crafty, you could make a lot of stuff yourself, but then you'd have to ensure you didn't get MIC fabric, stuffing, thread, etc..

Its really hard.

IIRC, Mega Blocks is MI Canada. They have some stuff for 12m and up.

Melissa

DD#1: 04/2004

DD#2: 01/2007

[Leeannpk]

I am on a HUGE not MIC kick myself, so I hope I can help :)

You can find stacking cups made in Germany (I think they're Speil& Holtz) at atoygarden.com. Here is a link:

http://www.atoygarden.com/index.cfm?...&Product_ID=25

Use code Monkey2007 for 10% any order over $75 placed by midnight, 11/14. They have lots of really wonderful toys that are not MIC (but check the descriptions to be sure).

For soft blocks, I'd check out Etsy.com. I put "soft blocks" in as the search term and got tons of results.

Leeann

PS - I have a Nathan, too :)

[Tondi G]

check out this site!

http://www.chinafreechristmas.info/

[brittone2]

DD has a bday and Christmas in Dec. She'll be 1, and between those two occasions, she's getting a Haba ball track (the Kugelbahn one), a set of Speil und Holz stacking rainbows, a new ring stack toy, and she and DS (3.5) are sharing a new Elves and Angels kitchen set for Christmas. He's getting some Haba marble track parts and a game or two. They are getting some play food off of etsy (chenillechef ice cream cones, which are adorable) and some that I'm making. I second etsy for the soft blocks. I've seen tons on there before.

What other ideas do you need subs for for the baby? Maybe we can help.

for cutting food, have you investigated Erzi? They have some cutting food, and I believe that it is made in Germany. I think they have some cutting veggies, a hamburger set, a cake set, etc.

here's some:
http://www.waldorftreasures.com/natu...sortedsets.htm

amazon has some too.

ETA some of what DS is getting.

[Leeannpk]

Novanatural.com also has some cutting food, I think. You can get $5 off your first order with code COOLMOM.

Leeann

[ett]

Plan Toys also has a cutting food set. They're made in Thailand.

[ett]

Plan Toys also has a cutting food set. They're made in Thailand.

[ett]

I would also like to avoid all things made in China, but it's just not possible for me now. This is what I do. I no longer buy any wooden or plastic toys made in China, unless they are board games or puzzles that won't be mouthed. As for books, tons of them are made in China, so if you avoid them all, you wouldn't have much of a selection left. DS1 loves to read, so I'm not going to deny him of all those books simply because of where they're printed.

I found it very hard to find soft toys (besides basic stuffed animals/dolls) that were not made in China. Even if you get them from Etsy, the fabric they use may still be made in China. Since we already have a lot of soft toys from DS1, I haven't really had to buy any at all.

For some of the items you listed, like the soft cars and stacking cups, perhaps you could consider wooden ones, then it would be easy to find non-mic alternatives.

Here are some wooden stacking cups made in Germany:
http://www.atoygarden.com/index.cfm?...roduct_ID=1727
http://www.atoygarden.com/index.cfm?...&Product_ID=25

North Star Toys has some really cute wooden cars, both big and small, made in the USA.
http://www.northstartoys.com/

These are not exactly equivalent to the soft cars and stacking cups you are looking for, but if you're trying to avoid all mic toys, it's some trade offs you have to make.

[kitmama]

I hope you get some good suggestions on the scooter! We're looking for one not MIC, too. I love that same Radio Flyer one, but know it's MIC. Any not MIC I've found are SO MUCH more expensive.

Kettler makes a couple scooters- aren't those made in Europe?
http://www.durabletoys.com/toypics/k8450699.jpg

I found this one made in Italy:
http://www.quincyshop.com/childscooters.html

And this is Swiss-designed, but I don't know where it is manufactured:
http://www.microstoreusa.com/catalog...10/3788840.htm

ETA: LOL, I don't know how I posted a picture!