Everything is made in China

[buliej]

Last night I decided it was time to get organized. I started to make a pile of all the things I needed to wash for baby. While doing this I noticed almost everything (not all clothes - just everything like sheets, SPF protector from pram, etc.) was made in China - regardless of the location of the brand (meaning most of the items were purchased from US or Australian companies).

This made me think because I had just read an article in the New York Times (http://www.nytimes.com/2010/11/15/ny...e&ref=homepage) how some grocery stores/supermarkets in the US were doing an unofficial recall of their equivalent to our reusable green bags because they found that the ones made in China had high/unsafe levels of lead in them ... yes, the bags had lead (it wasn't clear whether it was the painted logo or the bag itself). They were unsure whether the lead could leach onto items (fruit, veggies) placed in the bag and but were fairly certain that if/when people disposed of their green bags, there would be lead leaching into the soil and water supply! There's now a movement to get the US FDA involved in setting standards for their green bags. They also noted that the bags were bacteria hothouses...unlike canvas bags which are lead free and can be washed. Anyway, I digress...

It just seems to me that nothing from China can be trusted (baby's milk with melamine, toxic wallboard, toys with lead paint) - they don't have the safety standards that the US, Australia or Europe has (or they don't follow them). Not that US/Aus/Europe always get it right but they do have enforceable safety standards. And here I am with all this stuff for baby from China - and I'm sure that 90% of the stuff will end up in baby's mouth at 1 point or another.

Does anyone check where an item is manufactured before purchasing? Are there any websites which sell ONLY locally made items (or items made only in Aus/Europe/US)?

[Honeybee]

I agree buliej, I feel awkward about baby/kids stuff made in China, but it's so hard to avoid. There is stuff that's not made in China, I would google 'natural' and 'baby', there are lots of Australian based online stores that sell baby gear and toys that are manufactured in Australia/Europe to high safety standards. Lots of BPA free stuff, and wooden chew toys etc. I gave up worrying about the clothing, it's too difficult. Once they get past the stage when everything is in their mouths I found it less stressful.

HB
xxxx

[luna moth]

SCARY, huh?

China is the world's toy factory. We have to stop supporting it, because the more we do, the harder it is to avoid.

[ladybird11]

Depends on the things you are after, you can buy Oz made items - sometimes though they are more expensive. DH and I are passionate about buying Australian Made where possible (I say 'where possible' as the laptop I type this response on was made in China!). I've found a lot of the wooden toys are great to buy locally, besides - they tend to last longer than that of plastic toys too.

I agree with Audax too FWIW.

[sasha]

I found a way to get around this for baby clothes was to get second-hand whenever we could; sure, it may have originally been made in China, but by the time it's fourth-hand I don't reckon it matters anymore! There are quite a few WAHM clothing places online, and as far as toys go, locally made ones are usually great, and also Plan Toys are wonderful... made in Thailand but with a low environmental impact and they seem to be like a good company. They're not cheap, but you can make lots of baby toys yourself using stuff you have at home as well. Let me know if you need some ideas, and there's pleny online as well.

It's frustrating, isn't it, if you want to get stuff not made in China - we try and avoid it as well, for all sorts of reasons, and I actually found some biscuit cutters the other day in Woolworths which were... wait for it... MADE IN AUSTRALIA! I've been looking for some for ages but all of them were made in China. It was a really nice surprise (and now we can make animal and star shaped biscuits, yum!)

Good luck

[buliej]

I've come to realize that Audax is indeed correct. For companies to stop manufacturing in China, we have to stop buying things made in China even if it costs more. I think everyone has expectations around price (meaning things should be cheap) but this comes at a non-financial cost to our health (and our babies' health) - not to mention to the environment and to the people who work in these factories that do not have safety standards for the workers. I'm going to make more of an effort to pay attention to where items are manufactured.

However, I hate going to stores and rely on online shopping as much as possible...most sites don't mention where things are manufactured. I have started to look up companies to see what their in-house safety standards are but to email each one re: manufacturing location is very tedious but then again, I guess it would be the most effective way of letting companies know that I, as a consumer, care about this.

I've also made note of all the websites people have posted above and PM'ed - thanks so much!

[luna moth]

Buying secondhand is a great way to not support the made in China machine. All the clothes we have bought for this baby have been pre-loved.
I know some people get funny about second hand clothes, but I find that weird. You'd happily sleep on hotel or hospital sheets that have seen hundreds of different bodies, and then been washed, but won't wear clothes that have done the same? Doesn't make sense to me.

As for toys, it is brilliant to make your own out of household items and natural materials. Not just from a toxic point of view, but also as far as fostering imagination.

[sasha]

Buying secondhand is a great way to not support the made in China machine. All the clothes we have bought for this baby have been pre-loved.
I know some people get funny about second hand clothes, but I find that weird. You'd happily sleep on hotel or hospital sheets that have seen hundreds of different bodies, and then been washed, but won't wear clothes that have done the same? Doesn't make sense to me.

It's also just a great way of saving (environmental) resources, too - regardless of where you buy them from - because babies grow out of stuff so quickly... I asked for no clothes for T, because we already had heaps given to us when S was born, and still we got clothes given to us as presents (and I'm ashamed to say some of the new stuff, she didn't even get to wear, because by the time we got round to it, she'd grown!)

I'm not sure what your friend/social networks are like, but for both babes we had people falling over themselves to give us clothes for free. I just said 'yes' to everything and sorted through them - anything I didn't want, I just packed up and put in a Vinnie's or Good Sammy's bin. And it's not like we're really popular people with loads of friends if you put the word out to your family or workmates, you might be surprised the number of people they know who want to get rid of clothes!