No toys this Christmas, Peg Aschwege tells gift-giving family and friends when they ask what to buy her sons, Jack, 4, and Sam, 5 months. The Lincoln mother is not alone.

No red toys.

Nothing made in China, please, say parents.

Not even China-manufactured parts, says a grandmother.

Since October 2006 more than 32 million toys have been recalled from stores and homes. It's the largest number of recalls in the 34- year history of the United States Consumer Product Safety Commission.

Couple that with a sagging economy, a diving Dow, record home foreclosures and leaping living expenses for everything from gasoline to milk to prescriptions; it could mean a blue Christmas for America's children.

Or at the very least a challenging holiday season for parents, grandparents and Santa Claus, not to mention retailers and manufacturers.

Parents are scared. Buyers are leery — what's to say their gift won't be the next on the list of recalls. No one wants to be the one who bought the killer toy — literally.

“Maybe this is the year of the puppy,” quips Donald Mays, senior director for product safety planning at Consumer Reports.

Of course, he is joking.

But he also touches a very sensitive nerve for the 2007 holidays.

Realistically, very few American parents will permit their children to wake up to a toyless Christmas and Hanukkah, said Jonathan Samet, publisher of The Toy Insider (www.thetoyinsider.com).

“Christmas is going to come. The holidays are going to come. Kids will still want toys,” Samet said in a phone interview from his New York office.“There is always pressure not to disappoint kids, but now that safety is an issue there is more concern about not only buying the hot toy and the right toy, but am I buying the safe toy.”

Julie Vallese, director of information and public affairs for the CPSC feels their pain. “I am a mom and I know two little boys who are expecting to have toys under the tree,” she said. “Christmas isn't the same without toys.”

Regardless of the headlines and “breaking” newscasts, the truth is, toy recalls are still very much isolated incidents, “compared to the tens and tens of thousands and millions of total toys put out every year,” Samet said. “There is a tremendous amount of great quality toys out there.”

Billions of toys, actually, says Vallese.

Many are safe — even many of the toys made in China.

“Made in the U.S.A.” or Europe labels are no guarantee that a toy is recall-safe and danger-free — especially in light of how unpredictable kids can be in their play, said Mays of Consumer Reports.

Instead of panicking over the spate of recalls, parents should be comforted that unsafe products are  removed from store shelves, Vallese said.

And they should take heed —  do their homework before picking up the coolest-looking advertised toy.

“It’s more important now than ever to keep on top of it,” Mays said.

The best way for parents to stay informed is to sign up with the CPSC for automatic recall notifications, Mays said. People can’t rely on retailers and the media to keep them up to date on every single recall, he said.

While the lead recalls are numerous, Vallese said they are part of a concentrated effort by the CPSC, retailers and toy industry this year to provide more scrutiny of what is on the shelves.

 “The lead recalls are a result of that commitment,” Vallese said in a telephone interview from her Bethesda, Md., office.

 “It doesn't mean there won’t be future recalls, this agency has always announced recalls. But, the products being sold right now, have been looked at more closely than in any other year.”

And while the lead toys may be rocking the boat, Vallese said, parents need to understand where the real lead threat exists.

“It's not in the dollhouse and dollhouse furniture, it is in their own home, in lead paint,” she said.

The U.S. banned lead in house paint in 1978; any home built prior to that very likely has lead paint on its walls and ceiling, according to the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency.

 The problem with lead is that the body cannot distinguish it from calcium. Once ingested it accumulates in the body. In younger children lead poisoning has been blamed for learning disabilities, behavioral and attention problems, poor muscle coordination, decreased muscle and bone growth, hearing and vision loss — and at high levels — seizures, coma and death.

No child will get lead poisoning simply from playing with a single toy.

“You would have to chew on one of these lead-based toys for 12 hours straight,” Samet said

The reason the CPSC wants to get all the lead out, is that lead’s effects are cumulative on the body — a little exposure here and there adds up, Vallese said.

And despite all the attention on lead, it is definitely not the biggest toy danger plaguing our children.

“The biggest actual risk to children —  the number of children we know die from toys —  is small parts, small balls, choking on those and aspirating them or inhaling them into the lungs,” she said.

The next biggest risk is ride-on toys, where children get hit by a car.

Consumer Reports says the biggest toy concerns are lead, small magnets and toxic chemicals (such as those discovered in Aqua Dots last week).

However, it is lead that’s giving all toys the bad rap, according to numerous national polls.

Maritz Research's Retail Group found 82 percent of shoppers were aware of the recalls — and 77 percent said it would affect their holiday shopping, said Kyle Langley, senior research manager at Maritz Research.

Of that 77 percent:

— 38 percent said they will check the label and country of origin.

— 22 percent said they would not buy toys made in China.

— 9 percent said they would buy only American-made toys.

— 8 percent said they will check recall lists before shopping.

Several people said they would do more than  one of those things.

A Consumer Reports poll, released today found 36 percent of people are concerned about toys from China, Mays said.

In an eToys consumer survey, 53 percent of people say they believe toys from major manufacturers are safer than those from smaller companies. Fifty-six percent say they will purchase toys made only by companies they know.

 And, 69 percent of those polled say despite all the recalls, toys today are much safer than when they were children, according to Sheliah Gilliland, eToys director of public relations.

Yet, toy buying could be down, say research companies.

Of the people surveyed by Consumer Reports, 30 percent said they plan to buy fewer toys this holiday season.

How to buy

“When out shopping for toys, the thing that should be foremost in parents' minds is making sure they are buying the right toy for the age, skill and interest level for the child,” Vallese said.

“Read labels; they are there for a reason. And don't just read the labels, but heed the warnings.

“Don't give small children toys with small parts. For ages 5 to 9 make sure their skill level is correct for the toy. If buying athletic equipment, make sure you get the protective gear that goes along with the product,” she said. “And for older kids, parents need to still keep in mind that they are still kids. Even when they are 10 and older – they are still kids — children that think they are invincible. Parents need to be vigilant and supervise them so they know the proper way to use a specific product.”

Mays encourages people to avoid all children’s metal jewelry.

“Jewelry is the biggest recall in history by far— 45 recalls and 175 million pieces total (this year),” Mays said.

One survey finds that 20 percent of all children’s jewelry on the market has lead in it.

“Because of that we recommend you not buy metal jewelry for children — especially inexpensive metal jewelry,” Mays said.

Mays also suggests people steer clear of dollar-type stores when it comes to toys and jewelry.

“At those stores you are more likely to get unsafe, substandard and counterfeit products,” he said.

Larger companies have a testing staff to routinely check products brought in from overseas, Mays said. Many dollar-type retailers do not have testers, because they are trying to keep their costs down.

However, there are no guarantees, and for that reason, everyone agrees the best protection is a well-informed shopper.

“The most important thing is for parents to seek out the right information to help them make the decisions,” Samet said.

Where can you find that information?

The nation’s best and most complete source on recall news is the Consumer Product Safety Commission (www.cpsc.gov).

But when it comes to recalls, tips, advice and suggestions for shoppers, other good sources are:

- Consumers Union/Consumer Reports — www.NotInMy Cart.org.

- The Toy Insider — www.thetoyinsider.com

-Toys ’R Us —www.toysrus.com/safety

- eToys — www.etoys.com/safety

The eToys Safety Center, launched in September, not only posts recall listings but removes recalled products from its shopping lists and sends out notices to people who have purchased the recalled items.

“We react immediately,” Gilliland said.

Should you buy China-made toys?

The decision is personal, Vallese said.

And realistically speaking it’s hard to find toys not made in China. According to the toy industry, 80 percent of all toys in the U.S. were made in China.

“What I think is important for people to know is that regardless of where the toys are being manufactured, it’s the U.S. safety standards that have to be met. The same rules apply wherever a toy is made,” Vallese said.

It’s up to parents to choose what toy is right for their child. The CPSC wants to make sure parents are armed with the knowledge to make good choices.

So how will this all play out under the tree on Dec. 25?

The Toy Insider’s Samet said regardless of how much people spend, he is confident American children will find plenty of toys under their tree.

“The point of the matter is, not all of a sudden are parents going to buy their kids sweaters or books,” said Samet. “Kids are still going to want toys and gifts for the holiday. You just might have to be more selective.”

Not all parents outside the toy industry agree.

When recalls started coming out in droves earlier this year, Lincoln’s Peg Aschwege ran through her sons’ toys. She estimates she filled a large black garbage bag with possibly recalled toys — and pitched it all.

This holiday season toys are off her list.

Michelle Welch did the majority of her toy shopping last year, at the after-Christmas sales. Now she wonders if any of those toys have been recalled.

And when she came across a box labeled “Made in China” — “It did make me think twice,”said Welch, mother of Leo, 6, and Lane, 4.

It’s not just toys that concern her. Welch has a large collection of Christmas ornaments and tabletop decorations featuring Rudolph and his cast of characters.

“They probably are all made in China,” Welch said. “It sickens me to think that poor Rudolph could be contaminating the world.”

And it makes her stop and think: “Just how much lead are my kids playing with?”

Reach Erin Andersen at 473-7217 or eandersen@journalstar.com.