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The biggest shopping day of the year, Black Friday, is coming up. Good luck finding toys. Most of them have been recalled.

I’m amazed at the risks parents must take lately just to let their children play with toys. The latest addition to the list of toy recalls is Aqua Dots. If these toy beads are swallowed by a child, they can cause a dangerous chemical reaction inside the body just like a date rape drug.

Before the recall, Aqua Dots were named Toy of the Year in Australia and Wal-Mart put them on their Top 12 list for Christmas. But after two children slipped into comas due to swallowing Aqua Dots, the dangerous toy was pulled right off of the shelves.

The flood of toy recalls started in August, when Mattel recalled Fisher-Price brand toys for lead paint. The recall was quickly expanded to include both Fisher-Price and Mattel brands, recalling millions made with tiny little magnets that can be swallowed and cause damage to the intestines. After that, the flood gates opened and now the toy recalls seem to come on a daily basis.

I’m happy to say that there are some resources out there to help parents keep track of dangerous toys. The Toy Troubles page from WTAE runs frequent updates, posting news stories and recall information. The Consumer Products Safety Commission has its own Toy Hazard Recalls page, which posts the latest breaking recall notices. To learn about the most dangerous toys on the shelves this holiday season, check out the 10 Worst Toys of 2007.

I hope you’ll be safe and use these resources to protect your children from the dangers in their toy chest. If lead paint, tiny magnets, and dangerous chemicals can be found in their toys in only a few months, who knows what hazards could be next.