Luke 11: 11"Which of you parents, if your child asks for a fish, will give them a snake instead? Or if they asks for an egg, will give them a scorpion?"
We often buy many little gifts for our children, from the bargain store or we pick up a little ‘something’ when we are away. We are trying to show our children that we love them. Often these are made of plastic and break within a few days or even hours.
Health impacts of plastic toys on children
Twenty five percent of plastic toys contain toxic chemicals. Since most plastic toys are not labelled with the chemicals they contain, parents do not know whether an item is harmful. Chemical additives are used in plastic toys and other plastic products to provide specific levels of hardness or elasticity.
While the full effect of plastic chemicals on the body is unknown, they are linked to cancer and infertility. Infants and young children are considered particularly sensitive to chemical exposure due to their rapid metabolic rate, high surface-area-to-body-weight ratio, and fast growth of organs and tissues. Softer plastic toys are more likely to be harmful
Production of waste
We have also seen broken toys lying in the piles of rubbish. The challenge is that toys are very difficult to recycle. So almost all toys that have been made are still out there, gradually breaking up into smaller and smaller pieces, killing marine life and with toxic chemicals leaking into the soil.
Mini consumers
By constantly buying items that break and are thrown away we are teaching our children to be mini consumers that do not treat material goods as precious and valuable.
Show your love
Often what children are wanting is special time with a parent. So why not gift them an experience (print it out to make it exciting). A lunch picnic with yummy goodies, a visit to the swimming pool, a movie outing. If you want to bring little gifts from a trip away, go for fun art supplies or edible goodies, and for more serious toys, look for wooden toys, dressing up clothes or a gardening kit. If you get stuck post the question on your community Facebook page and you will get loads of ideas!
https://www.breakfreefromplastic.org/2020/11/27/plasticized-childhood-plastics-impact-children/
References
https://sdg.iisd.org/news/harmful-chemicals-found-in-25-of-childrens-toys-unep-study-finds/