Are vintage toys a health risk?

[june202]

I spent hours and hours playing with my Fisher Price Little People sets as a child, and really wanted to buy some vintage ones for my DC. However, I’ve done a quick Google and discovered that the range contains a level of chemicals that is now considered dangerous for children. I believe the same issue might apply to old car toys as well.

Are any vintage toys safe to give to children or is it better just to avoid them all?

Unfortunately many are now classed as toxic, and also materials degrade over time. Even Lego has issues with the older sets.

Well, how old in "vintage"?

It’s such a shame as the Little People sets were the most wonderful toys for imaginative play! I wish Fisher Price would reissue them as part of their retro collection. I played with them for hours and they didn’t cause me any harm (as far as I’m aware!) but obviously won’t be buying them for my DC.

What’s the closest alternative to them today I wonder? We have Duplo which is good, but not the same.

By vintage I meant 1950s to 1980s really. It’s a shame that there are all these wonderful toys out there that can no longer be used!

They have reissued them? Argos have a farm and a house.

I’ve just had a look at those and they’re not nearly as nice as the old ones. Oh well.

A lot of my kids' toys are vintage, many are my old ones from the 80s. Nothing can beat the quality of the old Fisherprice xylophone and shape sorter. But I make sure they don't chew them.
We actually have a lot older toys but my daughter is always supervised with them, but they are things like jigsaws, not the sort of thing you would put in your mouth.

We do a lot of dressing up for vintage shows so quite a few of our toys are more props.

I'd avoid letting kids play with lead soldiers but I wouldn't think twice about letting them play with 1970s/80s Fisher Price.

I agree the new versions are not as nice. The fisher price garage from the 80s was great. The new version is no where near as good
My grandchildren have played with Lego, cars and figures I bought for my kids in the 80s and 90s I didn't know there was an issue with it.

Playmobil 123 is a good modern alternative. Also Happyland but even that is discontinued now (it was ELC) - but you can still find Happyland stuff second hand.

This was the blog I came across - it does sound rather worrying!

tamararubin.com/2020/11/fisher-price-recommends-not-letting-kids-play-with-their-vintage-toys-use-them-as-decor-only-they-can-have-unsafe-levels-of-lead-cadmium-arsenic-mercury/

I will have a look at Playmobil, thanks.

You could contact fisher price and ask whether it applies to the UK range as well. That seems to be an American blog.