No More Baby Hats as of Feb 10.

I was talking to Carrie and Monica about this the other day. I had only read a few blogs and forums about this until today. I knew basically what it was about though... Starting February 10th, it will be illegal to sell any children's item unless you have had it tested for lead and Pthalates (the bad stuff in plastics that everyone's freaking out about right now.)

I do need to say that YES! I agree that items need to be tested. I don't want my daughters eating and drinking from items containing high levels of pthalates. I don't want them to play with toys that contain lead. I want their toys, clothing, and anything else they come in contact with to be safe. But I enjoy buying handmade items. I like to think that someone put their heart and soul into what they're making. And the whole small town feel of it is enchanting. I don't know anyone who doesn't enjoy a craft fair or flea market with all their hand crafted clothing, toys, etc. But starting Feb. 10th, you won't see that kind of thing anymore. The costs for testing will be far to great for these people (including myself.)

And it's not like you can sell and just say it's not certified or tested. It is unlawful to not furnish the required certification.

Okay - So the yarn and other materials I use are all made in the United States and tested by the companies that produce them. Yes they are tested for lead and Pthalates. But does that count? No. The Finished product must be tested. Every Handmade dress. Every Different hat. Every type of toy. And the costs for testing are outrageous. Only the big companies like Matel and Fisher Price will be able to afford the testing.

With our economy in shambles, this is definately something we DON'T need. This is many people's livelihood, doing craft shows, and selling online. What are they going to do now?

Here's another blog about it. I thought this was very interesting.
http://mommysmartini.blogspot.com/2008/12/day-congress-killed-small-business.html

And here is a Summary of the CPSIA of 2008
http://www.govtrack.us/congress/bill.xpd?bill=h110-4040&tab=summary

There are lots of things to do to help change this law. Check out the blog post at Mommysmartini in the link above. There are tons of links that will be helpful. This is definately a law that needs readdressing. Maybe people will contact their congressmen, and we can get this fixed so small businesses can stay open. I hope so. Or bye bye Baby Luv!