by Aimee Keenan-Greene 

Lead, cadmium, arsenic, mercury, antimony, chlorine, bromine - not the stocking stuffers you'd care to find by the fire this season.

Buying children's toys is never simple, but picking presents doesn't have to be a nightmare before Christmas

So how do you choose safe toys this holiday season?

The Good Guide has partnered with Healthy Stuff  to test 700 new toys and 40 toy brands sold at Toys R Us, Amazon, Target, and Walmart.

The first round of results show levels of lead continue to decline in toys and children's products. While lead was detected in 61% of products, none of the products contained lead at over 300 ppm, the acceptable limit, according to Healthy Stuff .

Check out the toy testing results .

The Good Guide is also profiling the proven greenest toy companies to make this holiday more merry.

They evaluated over 40 leading brands for their materials, judging the type of plastics, the source of their wood, paints and coatings - as well as their energy use, environmental management systems, customer relations, health & safety programs, treatment of workers, labor rights, and transparency.

Among the brands that made Santa's nice list:

Plan Toys

North Star Toys

Haba Toys 

A recent study by the U.S. Government Accountability Office (GAO) suggested minority children have higher rates of preventable injuries and deaths associated with children products.

With the season of giving upon us, the US Department of Health and Human Services says it is important to know what you are buying.

So whether its for a family member, friend, or a donation toy, The Office of Minority Health has ways to make sure everyone is merry.

Guidelines for Good Toys:

Is the toy age appropriate?

Does it have, or could it break into small parts that a child could put in his/her mouth?

Is the fabric labeled as flame resistant or flame retardant?

Is the stuffed toy washable?

Is the toy painted with lead-free paint?

Are the art materials nontoxic?

Stay away from older toys and hand-me-downs.

Is the toy too loud for your child?

Safekids.org has information on preventing accidental injury from toys

Additional Resources:

Kidshealth.org

Toy recalls: U.S. Consumer Product Safety Commission (USPSC) or  1-800-638-2772