Parents are being encouraged to research any products they buy second-hand for prior recalls.
"In stretching today's dollar, we do not want you to sacrifice safety," acting Consumer Product Safety Commission Chair Nancy Nord said Wednesday.
Nord says the good news is that the agency is inspecting more toys and finding fewer violations. She says that's the case across the board.
Another safety advocate, Nancy Cowles with Chicago-based Kids In Danger says, "Progress is being made, but parents still need to be concerned about brightly painted or brightly colored plastic toys. There's still lead out there on products."
Both officials say it's important for parents to keep things in perspective. There are three billion toys sold each year and most are safe for children. An analysis shows most of this year's recalled toys didn't come from big toy makers, but from smaller companies. According to the CPSC survey, most of those came from China. Others were made in Vietnam, Peru, Taiwan, and Korea.
You may recall, lawmakers passed new rules aimed at ensuring nearly lead-free toys and children's products after last year's record number of recalls.