To the PP poster who feels like its hard to keep up with he latest info on toxics:

My family generally just goes with the old tried and true materials for everything. Steel, glass, natural fibers, etc.

We figure if our great grandmothers used it, its probably safe and if its a new thing from the last 50 years, we'll likely avoid it. Makes it easy. We use: cotton diapers with wool covers (just like my grandmother did), glass baby bottles, wood toys. We avoid: all plastics.

I watched “The Disappearing Male” documentary that one of the earlier posters recommended. It was very disturbing , but also very enlightening. I feel like I know a few more things that I have to avoid and why.

PP, don't forget the carcingens in the DC tap water!

PP- I totally agree with you, it is almost impossible to keep up with all of the things that are toxic to your child.
So fare my list is:

Organic milk, fruit, meat, veggies and eggs because of pesticides and growth hormones,

safe shampoo and body products because of parabens (the hormone disrupting chemicals,)

avoid most plastic toys and cups (aren’t they all plastic??) because of the formahide, BPA and other crazy chemicals!

I try not to go crazy over this stuff, but it is a little overwhelming to keep up and very scary that this stuff is in everything. My DH always says, “I used it when I was a kid, and I am fine” but, the big difference is that those chemicals weren’t in widespread use until later (80’s, 90’s now.)

Maybe I should leave the city and go live on an organic farm in Canada.

this is so very upsetting - I've had these foam mats I purchased at Target that my 5 year old and now almost 3 year old used for years - they are not even the cute kid ones so I am sure they have this chemical in them

honestly, I just want to cry - it never would have occurred to me to worry about a foam mat- I feel like I just don't have the time and resources to keep up with and research all the hazards in everything we buy and use and I feel horrible thinking I may have exposed my kids to toxic chemicals

We have the Step 2 mats and according to this website, the manufacturer hasn't yet given a straight answer on whether their mats contain detectable formamides.

We have asked Step 2, makers of the large blue foam Playmats we sell in stores and use in our classrooms, for a statement similar to the one Skip Hop provided. Their response, so far, states that:

“Playmats are regularly tested in accordance with CPSC requirements in the United States and EU requirements for Europe and pass all chemical requirements.”

We feel that it is important to have more detailed information about the testing and the safety of these products and have decided we will temporarily stop using the Playmats in the classrooms or selling them in our stores until we receive further assurances from Step 2.

We continue to correspond with Step 2 about this issue and we will let you know when they respond to our satisfaction and we have the green light to begin using the Playmats again.

These mats by "Great Mats" purportedly contain no formamide. They are 5/8 in. thick and $1.55 per sq ft.
http://www.greatmats.com/products/dense-foam-mats.php

According to this website, the "Skip Hop" mats do not contain any detectable formamide. They are 1/2 in. thick and $2.90 per sq ft.
http://www.skiphop.com/product/242000.html

If anyone finds more alternatives or further information on which mats contain formamide, please post.

23:40 thanks for the article. Also thanks to the PP for posting the One Step Ahead link. I may get either the Skip Hop or the OSA mat just to be safe.

I still can't believe there hasn't been much in the news on this.

Here is the link to the One Step Ahead Mat:

http://www.onestepahead.com/catalog/product.jsp?productId=6683&cmSource=Search

Look uder "Prodruct Details" for the info.

Anonymous wrote:Here's a helpful link about this issue and some "safer" playmats: http://healthychild.org/live-healthy/faq/are_there_any_safe_foam_mats_for_toddlers_to_play_on

Thanks so much for posting this. We have the SkipHop Play Spot (and just bought another one for DC#2 who is only a few weeks old). I'm glad to see that it's still safe to use.

Here's a helpful link about this issue and some "safer" playmats: http://healthychild.org/live-healthy/faq/are_there_any_safe_foam_mats_for_toddlers_to_play_on

EVA? I thought EVA was the nontoxic alternative to PVC?

OP here

PP (19:28) - Can you post the link to the One Step Ahead mat you have? I just did a quick search and didn't see anything about formamide free on a couple of the mats on their site.

Thanks!

I just checked my mat which I purchased from One Step Ahead and it says that it is formamide-free which seems to be the issue, so I will keep mine. Thanks for posting the link!

If you want to learn even more about plastics and how they impact our kids watch “The Disappearing Male” on Topdocumentaryfilms.com. It was produced in Canada and it is a very scary movie. The EU is MUCH better about protecting the people from harmful products.

Not sure if anyone else has heard about this. Apparently EVA foam play mats have been outlawed in Belgium and France and the rest of the EU is soon to follow. Here is one of the articles I found on it.

http://www.safbaby.com/foam-puzzle-mat-immedate-removal-in-france-due-to-toxic-formamide

My mother said she saw something on Good Morning America about this. I can't seem to find much info on this. Unfortunately, all playmats are made from EVA foam. We have the Toys r Us Imaginarium alphabet mat. I think this is the TRU/BRU brand.

Has anyone else heard about this? Not sure what we should do.