Oompa!

As much as I HATE to admit it, I am getting older. The most obvious sign does not come by way of wrinkles or gray hairs (phew!) but by baby announcements. In the first round of my early twenties, I looked forward to receiving save-the-dates and wedding invites because naturally, celebration of the blessed union = free bar! This second round of early twenties has included the same save-the-date excitement, but with an ever growing number of It's a ____!

So for all of the parents-to-be out there, I thought I'd pass along my favorite website of 2008: Oompa Toys. I love this site because they carry excellent toys that are educational and safe, as well as eco-friendly and organic baby gear. Parents can also create a wish-list that acts as a baby registry or birthday list. The site is pretty easy to navigate - you can search by toys made in the US or made in Europe. As many parents are aware, most toys are made in China and may have harmful amounts of lead and other toxins. Most of the popular brands on Oompa are based in Europe. Although some of these companies do have assembly in China, they are strictly monitored and have passed US and EU standards (each toy you click on has a tab for Safety where you can view which standards they have passed). The creator of Oompa toys also has a blog where she talks about relevant and useful topics, such as why healthtoys.org may cause unnecessary alarm about toys that are actually safe.

The main reason why I love this site comes down to their tagline:
NO BATTERIES. NO BLINKING LIGHTS. NO CARTOON-THEMED TOYS. PERIOD.

The early years of childhood are an essential time for learning and social-emotional growth. I believe that one of the most important ways we can support children is by providing them with an environment that is safe, loving, and open for imagination. Maybe I'm biased as an OT, but wouldn't we all benefit from a little less advertisement-driven character toy that uses potentially hazardous batteries to produce repetitive sounds and take the pretend out of play?

I may be old, but at least I still know how to play.