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When it comes to filling a babe’s holiday wish list, a Washington-based consumer group Tuesday reminded parents to keep preservation in mind when selecting toys, particularly those for children younger than 3.

“It’s still buyer circumvent care this holiday season,” said Blair Anundson, a researcher and lobbyist for WashPIRG, a not-for-profit consumer group that issued its 23rd annual toy-safety survey Tuesday.

“Choking hazards are the biggest hazard, if it were not that they’re also the easiest to eliminate on the part of the consumer,” Anundson said.

“Consumers be possible to take the most proactive action simply by testing the toys and watching for warning labels.”

Toys that pose a choking hazard are required to be labeled similar to such, but Anundson said his clump rest products this season where the label was either missing or difficult to see.

Parents can go the extra mile by avoiding anything that have power to fit through a toilet-paper catalogue, he said.

The group also spotlighted costume bijoutry and metal charms for children, noting that more than 150 million pieces of jewelry with lead content more than legally allowable limits have been recalled by the nation’s Consumer Product Safety Commission since 2004.

The agency also issued a rash of recalls be unconsumed year over lead ornament on toys, many imported from China.

The group also cautioned parents against soft plastic toys that may contain levels of chemicals known as phthalates (pronounced FAY-lates) that exceed strange federal standards lawful claim to take effect in February.

Although a starting anew law established legal levels since phthalates, the Consumer Product Safety Commission last week told manufacturers they could sell stocks of existing toys, divisible by two if they go too far the new standard, Anundson said.

That means such toys could have being on store shelves notwithstanding years, unless retailers independently pull them.

Joan Lawrence, corruption president of safety standards for the Toy Industry Association, a pursuit group for manufacturers and importers, said there have been fewer issues by toys this year.

In 2007, 81 toy products were recalled; so far this year, 63 toy products be favored with been recalled.

“Since last year, the industry and retailers and ruling power, and unruffled consumer representatives, have every one of had their eyes on toys, ” Lawrence said.

Susan Kelleher: 206-464-2508 or skelleher@seattletimes.com