A mom friend just asked me if I knew of a good place to buy “Made in USA” toys this holiday season. The best advice I could offer her was to look online.

After having ventured to two brick and mortar toy boutiques this past weekend looking specifically for American-made products, only to encounter disappointment, I’ve pretty much decided that online shopping is the only way to go–at least, if there’s any hope of efficiently crossing names off Santa’s shopping list.

I’m not the only one thinking that online retailers are the way to go this holiday season. Check out Regina Lewis’ recent blog entry on where to buy American-made toys. She suggests consumers kick off their shopping at:  How Americans Can Buy American  and Still Made in USA.com.

If your holiday shopping goal is simply to find manufacturers who seem attentive to toy safety, you may want to check out Melissa & Doug products.  Even though some of their products are (or have been) Made in China, Melissa & Doug appears attentive to consumer safety, at least according to the company’s Sept. 2007 email sent to concerned parents.  

November 8, 2007:  The U.S. Consumer Product Safety Commission (“CPSC”) has announced a recall of Aqua Dots Toys, a toy craft kit, distributed by Spin Master of Toronto, Canada, and manufactured in China.

According to CPSC: 

The coating on the beads that causes the beads to stick to each other when water is added contains a chemical that can turn toxic when many are ingested.  Children who swallow the beads can become comatose, develop respiratory depression, or have seizures.

Consumers are advised to stop using the recalled product immediately and contact the company for free replacement.

The recall affects about 4.2 million units.  At least two reports of children swallowing Aqua Dots and slipping into comatose states have been reported.

For more information, check out the CPSC news release.