Most of you who talk with me know that I have a 4 year old son. Over the last few weeks I have been watching in the news about all the recalls, and diligently removing the affected toys from my sons reach... Now, yesterday, they released yet another recall of toys, and as a parent I am trying to figure out if it is really as bad as all the hype. I care for my son, and never want to intentionally put him in harms way, but how bad are we talking here? I was watching a news program this morning where a doctor said that if your kids had played with any of these toys for at least a month, you should take them and have their lead levels looked at... seriously? He said that we, as american parents, should just get rid of any toy made in China as a precaution. He said, its better to be safe, once they are affected, there is no getting rid of it... Is this really necessary? I don't want to harm my son, but it seems a little like over-kill.. I don't want to have to explain to my child why I am throwing away his beloved toy if not necessary... not to mention that his birthday is today, and he will be getting new toys as presents.. how do I handle this kind of situation?. or is this just another "razor in the halloween candy" scenario? The media is so unreliable... any opinions here...

That's about 80% of the toys in your house. :)
I have a 2 year old and a 6 year old. Haven't removed any toys from the house yet.

I know! That's what I was getting at... it sounds like over-kill to me, but when I act like its nothing to my mother or sisters, they seem to think it isn't, so I'm confused...

You're a mom, trust your instincts. We shouldn't be running around scared all the time.

Thanks for the opinion. I just wanted to make sure I wasn't just being ignorant here living in denial or something...