For Salt Lake mom Shelley Marshall, part of a parent's responsibility is to avoid excess with toys. She tries to limit the number of toys her daughter, Ava, receives as gifts and also shops for recycled items. Her goal is to teach her daughter to be environmentally conscious and avoid waste.

Last month, Marshall checked several of her daughter's toys with household lead testing kits. The results were negative.

"It's hard sometimes, but you just have to kind of do the best you can," Marshall said.

Jennifer Hamilton, who runs the nature-based Earth and Sky Playschool in Sugar House, said she believes children will adapt if their parents begin cutting back. She advises parents to look at what they used to enjoy playing, then find a way to allow their own child to do what they did.

"Kids are like their parents," she said. "So think about what you really enjoyed as a child. Nine times out of 10, your child will like that toy, too."

But she does follow strict rules when buying toys for her school. Hamilton first looks to see if a toy is age-appropriate and safe and then selects items made from natural materials such as wood or wool.

She has multiple wooden block sets at her school and several soft, fabric dolls. Children at her school will oftentimes play dress-up or build forts with just a simple square of cloth. The goal is to allow children to learn and explore by using their imagination, Hamilton said.

"Children are overwhelmed with so many options," she said. "You really need to focus on quality versus quantity — and your children will be OK with that. They'll get used to the idea."

Likewise, Bradley also advocates balance. High-quality, educational and environmentally friendly toys can be expensive, and Bradley said she has her fair share of plastic toys.

But she wants parents to be educated and choose the best toys available.

"You need to ask if (the toy) is adding to play value or taking away from it," she said. "I would urge parents to educate themselves about buying toys for kids."

For guidelines on age-appropriate toys and also a list of recently recalled play items, you can log on to the U.S. Consumer Product Safety Commission's Web site: www.cpsc.gov.

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E-mail: nwarburton@desnews.com