Plastic Free Holiday Guide For Moms

Joyful & Plastic-Free: A Safe Holiday Toy Guide for Every Mom 

By:  Sharon C. Lavigne, Founder & Director, RISE St. James Louisiana 

🚫 Some Plastic Toys Can Be Unsafe
What is inside plastic toys?
🧴 Softener chemicals, phthalates (thal-ates)
🔒 Hard plastic chemicals, bisphenols
🎨 Color chemicals, made with heavy metals
🔥 Burn-stopping chemicals, flame retardants
 These chemicals can get on your child’s skin or in their mouth, and growing bodies are harmed more easily. Learn more here: https://risestjames.org/education/chemical-of-the-month/.  

These Health Problems Can Happen:
🤕 Skin rashes or allergies
🤢 Tummy or learning troubles
🕒 Puberty starting too early or too late
🩺 Sickness years later (some problems take a long time to show up)

Toys to Be Careful With:
🛁 Squishy bath toys and bath books
🧱 Clay made from plastic (PVC)
🧸 Old plastic toys made before 2005
💄 Toy makeup, play jewelry, face paint
💰 Very cheap toys from unknown places, including Temu

Choose Safer Toys:
🌳 Wooden toys
🧵 Cloth toys
🧩 Puzzles
💋 Real makeup that is safer than toy makeup
🎟️ Kids’ experiences such as museums, parks, and camps
🏅 Trusted brands such as PlanToys and Melissa & Doug
🌼 Wooden and cloth toys last longer and can become family keepsakes