Parents® Magazine Just Doesn’t Get It
They really don’t get it. The editors over at Parents® Magazine must not understand the angst that real parents feel about the spate of recent toy recalls involving lead paint and myriad other defects. How else can they justify their November cover story on “52 Hot Holiday Toys?” The article promotes more of the same Expensive Plastic Crap (as opposed to Cheap Plastic Crap) that has been marketed to parents for years.
I love Parents, I really do. It’s one of the few parenting magazines I still subscribe to after 5 plus years of the Mommy gig. So when my new issue arrived Tuesday, I opened it eagerly, and to be honest, I was shocked by what I read. I really thought the article would at least include some eco-friendly toys. Perhaps a few organic stuffed cotton animals? Some hand crafted wooden toys? Something without plastic or paint?? C’mon! Parents are screaming for non-traditional toys this holiday season. I’ll even confess that in my sleep deprived state I may have missed the promotion of eco-friendly toys (DH is out of town and darling baby is teething all night long). But if Parents is promoting eco-friendly items somewhere in this issue, they’re sure not making them stand out from the rest of the editorial and advertising content.
Actually, to be kind, I think the editors probably do get it. I saw the cute pictures of them with their adorable offspring. It must be the advertising chieftains who don’t get it, or if they do, they were afraid to do something different this holiday season.
So dear readers, what say you? Please leave a comment sharing your favorite sources for eco-friendly toys, and then I’ll do a compilation post combining my research (to come) with your suggestions.
UPDATE 11/9/07 – The Parent Bloggers Network is leading a great effort with Consumers Union to protest the seemingly never-ending saga of toy recalls. They are looking for 30,000 volunteers to visit stores nationwide. Visit Consumers Union to find out what you can do to make a difference.
— Lynn
Copyright 2007, Organicmania
8 Responses to “Parents® Magazine Just Doesn’t Get It”
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Hi. Just an FYI that this month’s Mothering Magazine has an article on the best natural toys of 2007. I also was breezing through a Magic Cabin magazine and saw lots of great natural toys as well.
Jane (not a big fan of Parents magazine)
Jane – Thanks so much…I will pick up that issue and will probably write a post about it closer to the holidays. In fact, I should subscribe! Thanks, Lynn
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Found you via the blog blast.
I posted my thoughts on my blog here:
http://mamaknj.blogspot.com/2007/11/new-toy-warning.html
And I am actually opening my own “safe” store on Friday. http://www.nontoxictots.com
Good luck with the store, Mama K! We sure need more non-toxic toys. Hope they are eco-friendly too. — Lynn
I love Plan Toys (plantoys dot com). Plan Toys makes ingenious wooden toys (made from rubberwood without wood preservatives and using non-toxic water-based toys) that inspire imaginative play with no batteries and flashing lights!
My kids have several little cars, a tea set, a stove, some pots and pans, lots of wooden foods that can be “cut up” with a little wooden knife (the pieces are joined together by velcro), and a rocking horse. Next I’d like to get the little buildings, vehicles, etc. that make up the PlanCity collection.
We’ve had some of these toys for three years and so far nothing has fallen apart or been broken. They are not cheap, but they are well worth the price.
Here’s what their web site says about the consumer and environmental safety of their toys:
We are strongly committed to manufacturing fine-quality and safe educational toys under environment-friendly conditions. The timber we use is plantation rubberwood (Hevea Brasiliensis), which is recovered from old rubber trees after they no longer generate latex and are due for burning. We process and kiln-dry the timber, in a chemical-free environment; no wood preservatives are used whatsoever. The paint which we use to varnish Plan Toys products is non-toxic water-based paint which has been scientifically tested by independent accredited laboratories and found to be safe for children and non-polluting in natural water sources. We use natural latex glue to do the joining work on our toys. In certain cases, we need to use plywood in our production. Special care has been taken to ascertain that our plywood complies with E1 standards, thus ensuring emissions of urea formaldehyde at levels below those acceptable to the World Health Organization (WHO). We do not use PVC in our packaging. All cardboard cartons used in our packaging can be fully recycled.
Holly – thanks so much for sharing this detailed information about Plan Toys. I am especially impressed that they do not use PVC in their packaging. Finding eco-friendly toys and organic foods packaged in PVC plastic is one of my pet peeves. In fact, my latest post lists the need for eco-friendly packaging as one of the top ten organic and eco-friendly products Moms really need. — Lynn
[…] year, more than ever before, parents are concerned about buying safe presents for their children. And increasingly, they’re concerned about the environment […]
I agree that it is difficult for such large, “main stream” magazines to feature smaller, truly organic/eco-friendly products. The problem as I see it is smaller companies generally do not advertise in these magazines and generally do not have a voice. Additionally, until recently, “green” was not in, and large media and companies are only now waking up and need to learn what is out there.
As a distributor and retailer of natural and organic toys, I know that Parenting, HAS approached us on occasion for samples, but I don’t think much has ever come of it. It is certainly worthwhile to send letters to the editor so that they know that their readers are becoming more savvy and notice such glaring discrepancies.
Hi Rob, thanks for stopping by! Good to know that Parenting has approached you…. And you have a great site! Folks, check out: squidoo.com/challengeandfun
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