meta-dad

Easter Egg Toy Recall

This is a admirable offer since the products in question retail between $1.99-$2.49. Thanks for the pocket change Mr. Hobby Lobby Man, that totally makes up for the fact that my kid has been playing with lead-laced toys. Yes, these plastic eggs were manufactured in China (surprise-surprise) and they have exceedingly high levels of lead in their brightly colored shells. As a parent, I concur with recent polls that measures and safety standards need to be revamped considering the current trends with manufacturing, and the sooner the better.

It’s seems fair to say that when you are buying products for the little ones, you need to look for explicit labeling with language like “non-toxic” or “lead-free” on it. There is plenty of paperwork being pushed around in Congress regarding this kind of issue so I expect, at the very least, some step toward madatory labeling on toys and baby products but still question whether the CPSC and the likes of will be able to keep up with all the foul play on the part of the manufacturers and the commissioning companies. In the meantime, read the labels and if they don’t say “non-toxic” you can assume they just may be toxic.

Sited Links:
CPSC | Hobby Lobby Stores Recalls Easter Egg Containers…
Hobby Lobby | Recall Statement and Information
Science Daily | Consumer Alerts Aren’t Enough to Protect Kids, Survey Says

Related Links:
National Paint & Coatings Association | Lead-Hazards Legislation Introduced in Both Houses of Congress
Associated Press | Plastic Easter Eggs Linked to Lead Paint

Rechargable Lamps for the Kids

Set the mood on fire, not the house. These award-winning portable lights provide a warm, ambient glow that won’t blow out in the wind, or set the house afire if left unattended. They’re equally useful on the dinner table, bedside or camping (even if you’re in the backyard). Patented, intelligent circuitry makes them illuminate automatically when lifted from the charging platter and start to recharge as soon as they’re put back. The SafeCharge” induction system eliminates exposed electrical contacts, and each light is made of impact-resistant polycarbonate. They also turn on automatically during power failures so you always have an emergency light source within easy reach.

(Candela Glow via BabyGeared.Com)

Baby Leg Warmers

These are a recent discovery of ours, we dress our one year old boy in them and they are a great solution to keeping his legs warm on those crisp spring mornings and they allow for super-fast diaper changes. Think about it dad. Because you know dads are all about the fast pit stops. Yeah, and they’re damn cute looking too. One thing we noticed was with the leg warmers on he can crawl around rug-burn free.

The Natural Organic Cotton and Natural Organic Wool BabyLegs designs are made in Vermont, USA. All other organic and standard BabyLegs are manufactured in China and our current manufacturer is wonderful. Most of the BabyLegs are 80% cotton, 15% polyester, 5% spandex. Our SuperSoft BabyLegs are 100% polyester. The Organic cotton are 87% cotton, 12% nylon. 1% spandex. Our Organic Wool are 88% wool, 11% nylon, 1% spandex.

Yes you can find these at different locations but these guys have the biggest selection.

(Via BabyLegs.Net)

The Real Face of Mario Brothers

Excellent Resource for Kids Activities

Have you ever tried to make origami but could never understand the directions? Have you run out of cool ways to make a paper airplane? Or you want to see how the Pro’s do it? Or have you just run out of craft and activities and need some inspiration? The folks over at ActivityTV.Com have done a great job at creating a site filed with video tutorials for a number of great kid activities.

Find lots of fun activities for kids, with video instructions and printables. There’s a great selection of craft ideas including gifts, games, and holiday items. Learn easy magic tricks, or try the fun and easy kid-friendly cooking recipes. Check out the simple, safe and fun science experiments or very cool paper airplanes. Other categories include cartooning, cheerleading, juggling, origami, jewelry, puppets, and more. Just follow along with the step-by-step videos.

Some of my new favorites is LegoTV, where you can see some of your favorite lego characters in actions. Of all the Instructional Channels available I’d have to say puppets section is my personal favorite. Banana Buddies. Running Rabbit. Shoe Box Monster. Come on, we’re talking about a screaming good time here.

So the next time you wake up to one of those impenetrable raining spring mornings or you just run out of tricks to pull out of the proverbial mom/dad hat, check out Activity.TV and see if they help spark some kind of fun.

(Via ActivityTV.Com)

Xtreamliner Toy

The Xtreamliner, dreamt up by Scandanavian Designer – Ulf Hanses, comes in sporting bold colors such as black, lime-yellow and lightning blue, is a playful rendition of a convertible automobile. A magical gift for any occasion from birthdays to graduations.

(Via ScandanavianDesignCenter.Com)