The holidays are here and if they haven’t been naughty, your kiddos will likely be raking in a few gifts.  Unfortunately, many states do not require retailers to pull recalled toys from their stores shelves. Here are some resources to cross check those new gifts and ensure they are safe for your little one.

The Consumer Product Safety Commission has an ongoing list of toy recalls, as well as an email service to keep you up to date.  And the CPSC is even getting with the times, by having a Twitter page you can follow @OnSafety.

Much tougher and more in line with child interests versus corporate ones is USPRIG, US Public Interest Research Group, monitors toy safety with seemingly more stringent thresholds than other groups.  At the USPRIG site, you can sign up for email alerts, search using their interactive tool, or read their 2009 Toy Safety Report.  Their mobile site is accessible from mobile or smartphones at the following link www.ToySafety.mobi, and research the purchase before you even buy it!

HealthyStuff.org is a great site that looks out for toxic chemicals in everything, not just toys, but they have a pretty awesome section on toys.

W.A.T.C.H. is a Massachusetts based non-profit that monitors toy safety.  Here is their Top 10 Worst Toys of 2009

As much as I dislike most advice on Babycenter, they are really good about product recalls, safety and the like. You can search all the product recalls, by brand name or serial #.