Palumba

As a parent I definitely remember the scare and recalls last year surrounding many children's toys. It seemed like every toys was a potential threat. This year I haven't heard anywhere near as many scary recalls, but that doesn't mean there aren't problem toys out there. A great place to get toys that are sure to be free from lead is Palumba. Their toys are organic, green-built and handmade, created from all-natural materials.

Some of their newest items are the Beeswax Crayon Sharpener, a Gyroscope, a fun Felt Pancake Breakfast and the Babus Baby Chain among many more.

Did you know there's new legislation that could harm businesses like Palumba? According to the Handmade Toy Alliance this could affect:

* A toymaker, for example, who makes wooden cars in his garage in Maine to supplement his income cannot afford the $4,000 fee per toy that testing labs are charging to assure compliance with the CPSIA.
* A work at home mom in Minnesota who makes dolls to sell at craft fairs must choose either to violate the law or cease operations.
* A small toy retailer in Vermont who imports wooden toys from Europe, which has long had stringent toy safety standards, must now pay for testing on every toy they import.
* And even the handful of larger toy makers who still employ workers in the United States face increased costs to comply with the CPSIA, even though American-made toys had nothing to do with the toy safety problems of 2007.

It's pretty scary to think that you couldn't get handmade stuff like this in just a few short months. Check out the Handmade Toy Alliance and this Wall Street Journal article to find out what you can do to help.