it's now 5:59 am and i have important information

soooo, in my insomnia i have been bouncing around A TON OF BLOGS, catching up with people i didn't even know i knew :)

one big theme i saw on almost every blog,even my friend sam's, has been the cpsc testing and ban of certain children's products starting feb 10th. there is a lot of mis-information out there. i went to the government website and copied this straight from the legislation itself:
The new law requires that domestic manufacturers and importers certify that children’s products made after February 10 meet all the new safety standards and the lead ban. Sellers of used children’s products, such as thrift stores and consignment stores, are not required to certify that those products meet the new lead limits, phthalates standard or new toy standards.
The new safety law does not require resellers to test children’s products in inventory for compliance with the lead limit before they are sold. However, resellers cannot sell children’s products that exceed the lead limit and therefore should avoid products that are likely to have lead content, unless they have testing or other information to indicate the products being sold have less than the new limit. Those resellers that do sell products in violation of the new limits could face civil and/or criminal penalties.
When the CPSIA was signed into law on August 14, 2008, it became unlawful to sell recalled products. All resellers should check the CPSC Web site (www.cpsc.gov) for information on recalled products before taking into inventory or selling a product. The selling of recalled products also could carry civil and/or criminal penalties.
While CPSC expects every company to comply fully with the new laws resellers should pay special attention to certain product categories. Among these are recalled children’s products, particularly cribs and play yards; children’s products that may contain lead, such as children’s jewelry and painted wooden or metal toys; flimsily made toys that are easily breakable into small parts; toys that lack the required age warnings; and dolls and stuffed toys that have buttons, eyes, noses or other small parts that are not securely fastened and could present a choking hazard for young children.
let me break this down into more palatable chunks, because i know there are questions about this, and i have been reading about these requirements at my job:

• second hand/consignment stores are still able to sell children's toys as long as the toys do not fit into the category of 'likely-to-be-unsafe' toys/products.
• there are product lists on the cpsc website that you can reference to see if your toys are safe or are likely to contain high levels of lead.
• this does not apply to all clothing (often sheets, blankets, bedding and sleepwear are treated with fire retardants. these chemicals can contain lead, so some of these items can/will be on the naughty list)
• home crafters that place products on ebay, etsy and wherever can still do so as long as they can show traceability for their products safety should such documentation be requested (ie: i buy a hand made wooden rattle from a retailer on etsy. that retailer needs to be able to show me that the stain/varnish they used on the rattle does not contain lead)
• you didn't hear this from me...but trust me, knowing the business i am in...you don't want your kids playing with most of the toys out there anyway. MANY of them are VERY dangerous. that's all i'm going to say on that topic.

please check out this memorandum that was placed on the cpsc website to clarify your questions:http://www.cpsc.gov/cpscpub/prerel/prhtml09/09086.html

if you are concerned about any toys or products that you currently have, you can purchase home lead testing kits at sears, ace hardware and online. they are not expensive and can help you get rid of dangerous toys. also, like i mentioned above, go to the cspc site and check out their listings and warnings. there is so much helpful information on that site for things that you didn't even know you should be worried about. it's definitely a site that every parent should check often.

PLEASE pass this information on to parents you know. let your local second-hand/consignment shop owners know that you will be counting on them to be open feb 11th!!! these government agencies are not bull-dogs. they are trying to protect your children from harmful chemicals that no-good, careless, greedy, socialistic countries have put into your children's toys to gain a profit.

let's work together to make this a win-win situation. as gi joe said " now you know...and knowing is half the battle". GO JOE! :)