Last year’s toy recalls for lead paint-contaminated toys scared most parents. Lead is a potent neurotoxin, particularly harmful to children’s developing brains. Lead exposure may result in developmental disabilities, cognitive impairment, slowed growth, damage to the central nervous system and has been linked to attention deficit hyperactivity disorder. Children are particularly susceptible to lead exposure because of their smaller size, greater rate of absorption of lead and ongoing development. As a result, lead paint-contaminated toys can pose a problem, particularly for younger children still prone to mouthing toys. But even children who don’t mouth toys are still at risk of exposure to lead if the toys contain lead-contaminated paint. If children play with a toy and lead dust comes off in their hands, they can ingest the dust from their hands, or paint chips can be ingested. Even a contaminated paint chip the size of a staple can elevate a child’s blood lead level.

A safe, eco-friendly option is Plan Toys’ Shape Matching Toy, $19.50, which combines six different puzzles on a board. The child matches the corresponding halves to fit within the spaces on the board. The board is slanted for easy use, the brightly colored pieces are attention-grabbing, and it’s great for helping kids learn to differentiate colors, shapes and forms. Click here to read more

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