Gift-givers should seek to get the lead out this holiday season.

In the wake of this year's widespread toy recalls, parents seem to be paying more attention than ever to the origins of the plastic items with which their children play. As the holidays approach, extra caution must be taken to stock young ones' toy chests with safe new treasures.

Consumers have been on red alert since RC2's recall of 1.5 million Thomas and Friends Wooden Railway toys in June and Fisher-Price's recall of 967,000 Sesame Street and Dora the Explorer toys in August due to excessive amounts of lead in each product line's paint. Just last week, Six Colors face-and-body paint was recalled due to high levels of lead and other chemicals in the product.

Whether it's absorbed through the skin or accidentally ingested, lead paint can cause severe illness, nervous system damage and stunted growth in children younger than 6 years old.

The Consumer Product Safety Commission stipulates that toys containing more than .06 percent lead accessible to users are subject to recall. The CPSC has issued 74 toy recalls so far this year, as compared to 37 recalls in 2006 and 30 the year prior.

This year's scare has sparked heightened suspicion toward any toys made in China - the source of most of the recalled toys - and whose safety standards have been in severe question ever since. If consumers strike toys from the Asian country off their shopping lists, they will likely look elsewhere, to toys made in the United States and Europe, come holiday time.

While a “Made in America” stamp is not always a guarantee of safety, Keri Brown Kirschman, assistant professor of psychology at the University of Dayton, suggests that “it might decrease the likelihood that it has lead-based paint, for example.”

The toys made by Habermaass, in Germany, and distributed by Haba USA, in Skaneateles, are mostly made from wood and colored with a non-toxic, 100 percent water soluble stain.

“That's what gives them bright colors, but they're also very safe,” said Haba USA General Manager Hugh Reed. “They're tested by European standards, which are actually higher than U.S. standards.”

Reed notes that Haba's toys, which are also tested in the United States for choking hazards, have never been subject to a recall.

The company's extensive product line ranges from rattles for babies and wooden blocks for infants to board games for young teenagers. In addition to their safety, Habermaass's toys are made with a “back to basics” approach to playtime. Without computer chips or batteries, Reed believes they appeal to the imaginations of children.

Any Habermaass products can be purchased online at www.maukilo.com or through the Kinder Garden children's store in Skaneateles.

“All the Haba stuff is just hugely popular,” said Amy Kim, a sales person at the store.

The more rigid standards of European toy manufacturers also apply to Jellycat plush animals, which are manufactured in London, sewn in China and sold at the Kinder Garden. The children's store - which offers clothes and other items in addition to toys - also sells a few products made in China. But not once have the companies they carry been involved in a toy recall.

“One big company we deal with shut its factory down for two weeks for inspection, but they've done strict testing and assure us it's no concern,” Kim said.

Betsy Conroy, who also works at Kinder Garden, recommends that parents ask about any items they are pondering as holiday gifts.

“Find a store with salespeople who are knowledgeable in the products they sell,” Conroy said. “It's not always just the label, either - you don't have to be scared if it says 'Made in China.'”

People shopping for older children should also keep an eye out for other gifts with lead. Dr. Mark Rosen, head of the lead program at Children's Hospital at Montefiore in New York, notes that the substance has often been found in cheap earrings, bracelets and necklaces, which are all popular items among teenage girls.

Lead is not the only pressing concern for toy-shopping parents. The Aqua Dots Super Studio, an item in the popular Aqua Dots toy series, was recalled last month for possessing a chemical in its small toy beads that, if digested, is converted into GHB - the date rape drug.

In addition to harmful chemicals, toys with sharp edges, small ingestible parts and strangulation hazards are still as dangerous as ever. Magnets are yet another concern; if they come loose from a toy and more than one are swallowed, they can stick together in the child's intestinal tract and cause perforation, infection or blockage.

This holiday season, parents shopping for toys would be best off following the same advice they tell their children: safety first.

Staff writer David Wilcox can be reached at 253-5311 ext. 245 or david.wilcox@lee.net. The Associated Press contributed to this story

€ Purchase wooden, unpainted toys or toys with lead-free paint, says Alanna Stang, executive editor of Cookie magazine

€ For small children, choose toys that don't have small pieces

€ Make sure toys are age-appropriate, says Sheliah Gilliland, spokeswoman for eToys

€ Supervise children - if there is more than one child, make sure their toys don't get mixed up

€ Check toys often to make sure they are not broken or cracked, said Patricia Mikelson, vice president of corporate communications for Highlights for Children

€ Be informed - check the Consumer Product Safety Web site (www.cpsc.gov) for toy recalls

- The Associates Press