Well, the front page brought yet another
toy recall to our lives today. You know, if all of this had happened 4 months ago, it would have made my
spring cleaning far more effective.
If you are currently faced with the unpleasant task of attempting to
explain a recall to your youngsters, read on. As with many of the issues we address here at Parentopia, you are not alone... and we are here to lend a few helpful tips and, more importantly, share what all of you have to say.
- Avoid the temptation to sneak your child's favorite toy out of sight. Remember, our kids have memories far greater than ours! A suddenly missing item might make your child anxious and scared.
- If your child is very young (0-12 months), you may be able to provide a replacement item without much trouble. Make your life easy by providing an old standby like a cuddly blanket or other item that is free from paint or electronic gadgets.
- Toddlers are not big on terms like "recall" or phrases like "the manufacturer made a mistake, darling." Keep your explanations at your child's level. A simple, "this toy isn't safe and mommy (daddy, etc.) loves you too much to let you play with anything that might hurt you," will probably go a long way with most little ones.
- The more verbal your child is, the more explanation they may want. Be honest with your kids. Let them know that the toy is unsafe and it will be replaced. Reassure them that they have not done anything to make it unsafe, the toy was just made that way. Let them know someone else made a mistake and that person is responsible for fixing it.
- Try to put yourself in their place. What if someone told you that your favorite comforter, or dishwasher, or car, or outfit had to go? You would want to know why and what that person was going to do to make right the wrong.
- Use this as a teachable time for older kids. Talk about the danger of small parts, electricity, lead poisoning. You may find yourself doing an entire research project with your child as you both work together to wrap your brain around this madness.
- Use this as a lesson for yourself! There is something to be said for simple items with a big imagination... Think of how much fun everyone had with the giant box that the play kitchen came in! Bring out the crayons, playdoh and magnadoodles. Listen to some music. Dance and sing, get up and do your thing.
- Try to stay calm. While you may have one or more items which have been recalled, try not to panic that your child is already poisoned. If you are concerned, by all means have your child tested for lead poisoning. Better to know, then to worry. If you decide to have the tests done, explain at an age appropriate level. Most kids may be okay with an explaination of "Your toy had some icky germs on it, which could make you sick. We want to keep you well, so the doctor is going to do some tests." Again, answer any questions you may get with age appropriate honest answers.
- It is okay to tell your child that you don't know much about lead paint and that both of you will learn a bit more about it together. Express how disappointing it is to have to get rid of some of the toys. Let your child be sad about it if they need to be. If it is an especially favorite toy and your child is verbal, you may want to ask, "How would you like to say goodbye to your toy?" and perform a farewell ritual with them.
While my kids are beyond the age of most of the items listed as potentially harmful, I have no doubt that many of those toys are lurking in my basement, shoved between the couch cushions, or, worse yet, have been donated to other families.
Lead paint, tiny magnets, removable pieces... the
list of dangers gets longer with each consecutive recall. I say ditch the high tech junk and go back to blankets (possibly hand made with love by a family member), stuffed animals (with eyes securely attached, of course), and some good old fashioned imagination.
If you have some great tips to
help parents deal with the recall and/or purging of the toys, please share them with here. If you have other concerns or questions, we want to hear about those too. Don't be shy, comment away...
(okay, just two, but if it catches on Rockville will be overrun...)
