My holiday wish for safe toys.

It's that time of year, again. Parent or not, almost everyone will think about toys at some time in the next month. And there will be lots of stories on the news about what to buy and what not to buy. I remember the China toy scare a few years back. In fact, in 2008, the Consumer Product Safety Improvement Act was created in response to the China toy scare to make toys safer. The end result was that toxic lead used in toy paint was limited, but another harmful chemical took its place: cadmium. The metal cadmium is highly toxic and has a low permissible exposure limit (PEL), which means that overexposure can occur even with trace amounts. So did anything get resolved? I would not bet on it.

Clearly, we need some alternatives that we can trust. Wouldn't it be nice to go to a toy store where all of the toys are high quality, safe for our kids and safe for our environment? Does such a place even exist anymore?

Such a place exists, and it's right here in Minnesota. DoodleTown Toys in Big Lake is a unique toy store has been handcrafting safe and non-toxic wooden toys for children for 40 years. The founder, Mike Poisson, got his inspiration to start DoodleTown after working in the Dayton's toy department in the 1970s. The Chinese-made toys he came in contact with were poorly made and motivated Poisson to start his own business making toys. The toys that DoodleTown makes are free of any small parts that could be a choking hazard. They are also environmentally friendly, a trait less common on the shelf at most department stores. In fact, on Doctor Toy's website, DoodleTown Toys are listed as "best green toys."

You may not find a lot of advertising for DoodleTown, but you will find quality, safety, and the satisfaction of buying from a Minnesota neighbor.

You can check out DoodleTown's website here. For general guidelines to purchasing non-toxic and environmentally friendly toys, you can visit this website.