06/01/2026
Good Morning Wyse Friends;
I hope everyone had a great weekend. Yesterday, I got to spend some time with two of my favorite Wysdohm young friends, which is always a delight for me. They brought in one of their friends to show her the store. The girls were spending their day on a mission to buy squishies, and wanted to know if the store carried them. Interestingly, the squishy craze came up in a conversation with Sam, my daughter-in-law, just the day before.
Here are my thoughts on squishies and why I won't carry them in the store.
1. Sam is a teacher. She reports squishies are actually inhibiting learning in school, not aiding. They are a distraction.
2. This Tik Tok trend will pass, and those toxic toys will end up in the landfill. Not very eco-mindful or kind.
3. Yes, they are toxic. The common concern that is being expressed by EU countries is that the squeezing acts as an accelerant, releasing toxic chemicals and through a process called "off-gassing" our children are inhaling these toxic chemicals, including Dimethylformamide (DMF), an industrial solvent linked to liver damage and reproductive toxicity, Toluene, a neurotoxin that affects the central nervous system, Styrene, a possible human carcinogen, Xylene and methylene chloride, known respiratory irritants, Formaldehyde, known carcinogen and Phthalates, plasticizers associated with endocrine disruption. With what I've learned in this process of mindful ordering of products and doing my research, absorption through skin is often one of the most bioavailable ways to get something good for us into our system. The same would go for toxic things, and I'm mindful of a concern that by constantly squeezing a toxic toy are we unintentionally introducing toxins through absorption into our children's system?
Instead of squishies, there is a multitude of mindful items out there that we can introduce to our children that give them long-term life skills in managing anxiety. Two of my favorite are our anxiety relief breathing necklaces and our Breathing Pals. Both help with developing skills for use long into adulthood.
Hope this helps. Love & Light, Tricia