Get the lead out!

Back to the mommy side of my brain--

When will manufacturers get the message that they need to stop using cheap paint in China, and elsewhere, and get the lead out???

I just found out that there was lead in the Winnie the Pooh potty chair that we bought last year. Fortunately we haven't been using it for our daughter since she prefers to use the big toilet, but it was only by chance that I found out about it. The manufacturer's remedy is to send a sticker to go over the contaminated part!! I don't think so! This is not going to cut it. I think I already threw out the "chair" portion of this thing anyway. We've been using it as a step-stool. My husband is going to make sure that it continues to be used only as a step-stool. The lead is in the back of the chair supposedly. So if your kid sits on the chair, the lead is getting on his/her back. You may think that is no big deal because most people don't "potty naked", but I can tell you- when my daughter first started potty training, she liked to strip down, and from what I've heard that is pretty common.

This is not the first toy that we've had lead issues with either. We had a Fisher Price medical toy set that had lead in it too. Consumer Reports said so, but Fisher Price refused to recall it. That is still sitting on the top shelf of the pantry, waiting for us to figure out how to dispose of it. Eventually I'll just put it in the trash I guess.

Meanwhile most pediatricians are ordering that kids get blood tests for lead poisoning every year. Of course our insurance covered the expense, but it's no surprise that health insurance costs are rising too. So ultimately the cost comes out of our pocket. More testing because of more problems and recalls equals more expensive health care. And if they just stopped using lead paint, we wouldn't need to do so many blood tests. Getting blood from a 2 year old is no picnic either I might add.

Maybe that's what we should do! Make all these manufacturers hold down a 2 year old while a blood test is done at the doctor's office. Ha.

Anyway, there are lots of websites out there about getting the lead out, but I just wanted to speak my penny's worth on the subject too. It really is outrageous. Lead paint in houses became illegal back in the 1970s because kids were chewing on window sills and getting poisoned, and yet here we are 30 years later, and it's still in the toys. Doesn't make any sense.