Recall causes concern this holiday season

More Chinese-made toys were recalled Thursday, prompting some parents to think about heading back to basic toys as the holiday season gets closer.

Julie Rabideau is one of the parents. She was keeping a close eye on her 3-year-old son, Evan, as he played with a wooden "Thomas the Tank Engine" in a local toy store. These days, she's been keeping a closer watch on the toys he has at home.

"(We've gotten rid of) the "Fisher Price" toys with the lead paint on them, the "Elmo" toys and also the magnetic toys," Rabideau said.

Those are among dozens of recalls in the last year, and with holiday season coming fast, Julie will be checking the recall list and checking it twice.

"Unfortunately not everything that is made overseas is not unsafe, but I'll be checking to see where they're from and looking at things really closely," she said.

Sue O'Neil, owner of Hobby House Toys, says Julie is not alone.

"They'll just say, 'we don't want to buy something from China, what do you have?'," she said.

And there's plenty of toys made closer to home that parents can pick from, like "slinkys", puzzles and even coloring books made locally.

Consumer advocates say it is not all about where toys are made. Parents should also check for small parts and magnetic pieces that are easy to swallow and could be deadly. And as long as parents keep their eyes peeled, they should be able to cash in on toy safety this holiday season.