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)?