These days, lead, it seems, is everywhere we don't want it to be: from Christmas tree light strands to cake decorations to children's bibs.

As we head into the holiday season, parents of toy-loving young children face a special dilemma: Barbie, Dora the Explorer, Thomas the Tank Engine and other popular China-made toys have faced recalls because of excessive levels of lead, which is toxic to young children.

Consumer groups have scrambled to address the controversy, with Consumer Reports recently launching a Web site, with information on the latest recalls from the Consumer Product Safety Commission.

Also, Oppenheim Toy Portfolio, a New York-based independent consumer organization, has announced that, for the first time in 15 years, it is canceling its annual guide to toys this year and replacing it with a Lead-Free• Platinum Toy Award List.

All the products on the list have been tested and determined to be lead free by an independent laboratory, said Stephanie Oppenheim, publisher and CEO the consumer review.

"Given the current problems with toy safety, we felt it a violation of public trust to go to press with toys that were not independently verified as lead free," she said.

There's only one catch: (• ) The asterisk on the list verifies that samples from only one particular batch of these toys tested lead free. "We cannot guarantee that other samples or production runs of the same products will be lead free," notes Joanne Oppenheim, the consumer group's president.

"The same products produced by different sub-contractors could unfortunately yield very different results. Our hope is that by next holiday season the government will have stricter regulations in place."

Go to the Web site for more detailed information on the products listed:

INFANTS:

Lamaze Chime Garden (Learning Curve)

Mommy and Me Musicals (Rich Frog)

Musical Babipouce (Corolle)

Royal Jungle Puppets (Manhattan Toy)

Spunky Key Wind Motion Musical (Gund)

TODDLERS:

Shop n Grow Walker (Little Tikes)

Go Baby Go Stride to Ride Lion (Fisher-Price)

Inchworm (Radio Flyer)

Sorbet Melodie Doll (Corolle)

Little Petals Daisy Collection (Mary Meyer)

Laugh and Learn Learning Kitchen (Fisher-Price)

PRESCHOOLERS:

Dolls & Puppets

Groovy Girls Poseable Dolls (Manhattan Toy)

Lia Interactive Baby Doll (Corolle)

Madeline Cloth Doll (Alexander Doll Co.)

Arnold the Snoring Pig (Gund)

Bobbidi (Gund)

Higgins (Mary Meyer)

Classique Nursery Twin Stroller (Corolle)

Grover Puppet (Gund)

The Very Hungry Caterpillar and Butterfly Puppet (Kids Preferred)

Pretend props and settings

Circus Tent (Bazoongi Kids)

Ryan's Room Home Sweet Home Dollhouse (Small World Toys)

Woodland Adventures Pirate Ship (Step 2)

Castle of Courage (Step 2)

Mini Automoblox (Automoblox)

Games andpuzzles

Candy Land Castle Game (Hasbro)

Diggity Dog (International Playthings)

Once Upon a Time Matching Game (eeBoo)

Smart Cycle (Fisher-Price)

Goodnight Moon Puzzle (Mudpuppy)

EARLY SCHOOL YEARS:

• Construction

Arena (Playmobil)

Mars Mission (Lego Systems)

K'NEX Serpents Spiral Coaster (K'NEX)

Creator Ferris Wheel (Lego Systems)

Double Ferris Wheel (K'NEX)

Dolls & Vehicles

American Girls Julie and Ivy (American Girl)

Bump n Chuck R/C Bumper Cars (Kids Galaxy)

Air Hogs Havoc Heli (Spinmaster)

Games & Active Play

Bendomino (Blue Orange Games)

Cat in the Hat I Can Do That Game (I Can Do That Games)

I Spy 3D Game (Briarpatch)

Jam Pack Jam (Cranium)

Toss Your Cookies (Gamewright)

Twister Scram (Hasbro)

BeeBoo Big Bubble Mix Kit (Extreme Bubbles)

• Crafts

Crayola Telescoping Crayon Tower (Crayola)

Decoupage Diva Tray (Creativity for Kids)

Me By Me (Alex)

• Electronics

Digital Arts and Crafts Studio (Fisher-Price)

Eye Clops (Jakks Pacific)

Fly Fusion Pentop Computer (Leapfrog)

Kidizoom Camera (Vtech)