Parents face dilemma over toy scare

By Simon Rabinovitch

LONDON (Reuters) - Safety concerns are prompting some European parents to avoid buying Chinese-made toys following two high-profile recalls but competitively-priced alternatives can be hard to find.

U.S. toy giant Mattel launched its second major recall of Chinese-made toys on Tuesday, citing hazards from magnets and lead paint. The recall of 18.2 million toys came just two weeks after its Fisher-Price unit recalled 1.5 million toys, also because of worries about lead in paint.

A string of scandals from unsafe tyres to tainted toothpaste has left Beijing struggling to reassure world consumers about the quality of its products.

"It's very serious. I won't buy toys from China, even if it's more expensive," said Fabrice Montigaude, a French tourist shopping for his daughters at Hamleys, London's landmark toy store, which opened in 1760.

"It's possible to find toys from other countries but it will be hard," he added.

But other parents said the frustration of scouring stores for replacements for made-in-China toys was enough for them to ignore any niggling doubts.

"I don't care because we have no choice," said Manuela Soncini from Parma, Italy, also shopping at Hamleys. "I look at the label and every product is made in China."

Inspecting the rubber puzzle she had just bought for her two-year-old, Soncini discovered its provenance was China.