I'm not really talking about baby toys here. Babies like boring crap like jangly keys and contrasty faces, so as long as you don't get the exploding or lead versions of those, you're all set. Let's discuss toys for older kids.
I know plenty of parents who have bans on video games, gun-shaped toys, Barbies, and whatever else the toy boogeyman du jour is. I suspect that none of these boycotts are having the desired effect on their kids.
First off, none of those toys are inherently evil. Granted, some video games are not age appropriate, but others can be educational or at least challenging to the brain. And lots of parents around here don't let their kids play with toy guns, but I've seen those same gun-deprived kids running around the park "shooting" with branches, pencils, syringes, or whatever other object they found on the ground. Those kids just happen to love playing imagination games where they happen to run around and shoot their friends.
Now, Barbies are indeed a pretty lame toy, and they do seem to present an unrealistic body image, but good luck hiding those images from your impressionable little monsters. You'll have to sew their eyes shut each time they pass a billboard with a model, or happen to see a clothing ad in a newspaper, or stroll through the Marina district (sorry, San Francisco joke there).
By all means, give your kids toys that encourage their brains. Try to trick your kids into learning Mandarin or quantum physics with educational toys, just like you try to hide spinach in their pizza or chocolate chip cookies, but if you have one of those kids who wants to play shoot 'em up Barbies, you're probably not going to be able to boycott your way out of that.
Kids love dumb stuff. That's just how they are.
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