"Mattel Should Pay for Lead Testing," says Mother

Cairo, NY"Just before I heard about the Mattel toy recall, I noticed that my three-year-old daughter had chewed the paint off Dora's hand—Dora the Explorer," says Danielle H. "Now I need to get her tested for lead."

"As soon as I found out about the recall I was horrified. I searched on the website for any more toys on Mattel's recall list. Every day I was hearing something else - more toys were added, recall dates were different on other websites. I don't know what to believe at this point.

But I do know that my daughter Merissa will need to get another lead test--she was tested already because my doctor said it was required. Blood was drawn from her vein—it is very unpleasant. I don't know how much lead it takes to get into your system but my daughter is the type who puts everything in her mouth.

I showed the toy to my doctor. 'Should I be concerned with the amount of paint that Merissa chewed off?' I asked. At the time she didn't know about the recall but suggested that I should have her tested for lead again.

I next gave a list of the recalled toys to my day care provider. She didn't know about the recall either but just about everyone knows about it now.

It makes me angry that Mattel is trying to save money by having products manufactured in China. There should be stricter standards for children's toys and apparel. They should manufacture their toys in a location where there is more control. I think products would be monitored more if they were made in the US.

Companies such as Mattel are endangering children and babies. I don't think children's toys should have paint on them at all. But I didn't even think about looking for a product without paint—who would ever think lead would be put into a child's toy?

I think Mattel should pay for the test. And refund the money I paid for the toys. If a child needs ongoing care, they should be responsible for that too. It's that old adage: you get what you pay for. The van I bought was $20 and that isn't cheap; I'm sure Mattel has made big profits from these toys.