Being a mother to two young children and a writer, when #boycottchineseproducts started trending, I was researching for my next article, but instead came across something that baffled me! When we think of China, the first thing as a parent, that comes to our mind are: Toys! No doubt, China is the world’s capital in manufacturing toys.

So much so that 90% of toys imported in India come from China, but did you know that most of them are made of extremely low quality plastic which is constantly emitting dangerous toxic chemicals into our child’s body, causing irreversible damage to their system??! At the same time, plastic toys are extremely harmful for our deteriorating planet which end up under the ocean or in a landfill.

Something as simple as the garden set, doctor set, dolls or even kitchen set that are commonly found in our children’s toy cabinet, have been found to be highly toxic.

At first I assumed importing toys would be the ideal thing to do (because that’s what we Indians usually resort to: imported products equal to good quality). However, out of curiosity, and having a penchant for research (being MBA in Finance does have its benefits ;) ), I started exploring Indian brands that are non-toxic and made of natural materials. I was not pleasantly surprised but shell-shocked to discover that India has such amazing brands in this space!

During this lockdown, I scrutinized several brands and their products and thoroughly investigated the material, quality of paints, machines, and workers used to make their toys. I got into in-depth study of what are the ideal / toxic-free toys that our children should be playing with.

I was determined to create awareness amongst fellow parents on the harmful effects of using unsafe toys AND at the same time curating Indian toys which are organic and barely known! I have noticed several of my peers are still unaware of the adverse effects of using cheap, low-quality plastic toys and that really needs to change!

This prompted me to create KiDSTACK, a go-to brand for discovering safe, non-toxic and made in India toys. Buying toys is a simple activity, but it is about time we put in some more thought to our children’s play time. It is a journey, of creating awareness on the harmful toys we are putting in the hands of our children and at the same time exploring alternate (and probably more effective) toys to enhance the growth of our little ones in the most safe and sustainable environment.

It gives me immense pleasure to know that within a short period of time, KiDSTACK has received extraordinary support and appreciation from parents, brand owners, and the community at large. The fact that my product reviews and recommendations are honest, selfless and without any bias, has been the key in receiving countless and genuine appreciation.

Unfortunately we live in an era where toxins are all around us: in our fruits, vegetables, water, and even air. Most of these are not in our control, or rather difficult to control, but we can definitely take charge of our children’s play time by providing them with safer alternatives.

Do follow us on Instagram , where you can find unbiased toy reviews and recommendations of non-toxic and undiscovered and Indian brands. Or Shop Now for #kidstackrecommends Toys.

Please join us in this journey to create a safe and sustainable environment for our children.