The Ultimate and Only-One-You’ll-Ever-Need Guide to Guides for a Sane and Safe Christmas
Seriously. If you have children and Christmas in your life, here’s some help in the gift-giving sanity department.
CCFC Guide to Commercial-Free Holidays
Suggestions and personal stories from staff, board members, and friends of Campaign for a Commercial-Free Childhood. Includes tips from CCFC members (add yours, too).
TRUCE 2008-2009 Toys, Play & Young Children Action Guide
A must-read before shopping. “This guide is intended to help adults promote children’s creative and constructive play by making informed choices about toys, and by working with others at home, school, and in the community to promote positive play and toys.”
Simplify the Holidays
From the Center for a New American Dream. The Alternative Gift Registry “makes it easy to choose non-material, homemade, second-hand, and environmentally-friendly gifts.”
Cool Mom Picks 2008 Holiday Gift Guide
Advertorial free. Thoughtful, high quality gifts — many supporting smaller companies, indie designers, and moms working from home. For toys, see the Cool Mom Picks Safer Toy Guide (”. . . we hope that you’re willing to invest in better quality toys, even if that means having fewer of them. How many rattles does one kid need anyway?”)
Guide to Safer Children’s Products
From Healthy Legacy, this guide helps you avoid purchasing products with harmful synthetic chemicals commonly used in children’s products. With handy take-along wallet card.
2008 MediaWise Parents Guide to Video Games
For anyone planning to purchase a video game for a child this year. The Video Game Buying Guide includes good choices and games to avoid.
U.S. Consumer Product Safety Commission Toy Safety Tips
CPSC press release lists top five toy hazards and information on how to get recalled product notices sent to your email.
Best Toys for the Holidays 2008
From the Not Quite Crunchy Parent and friend of PEM M.C. Milker.
Help make the Ultimate Guide to Guides even better: Add your links in the comments.
Photo courtesy Jeff Belmonte.