Ignorance really is bliss — the more we know, the more enjoyable household items we have to discard. First, we had to ditch our white wine. Then Nutella. And now we have to make babies part with their beloved teething toy?
We already had to boycott the age-old sippy cups — due to a horrifying amount of mold buildup. And, as it turns out, mold is poisoning all of our children's items. The newest culprit? Sophie the giraffe, a teething toy with ulterior motives.
Pediatric dentist Dana Chianese, who frequently recommends teething toys to new parents, first reported the issue to Good Housekeeping.
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About a month ago, she was cleaning the plastic giraffe and noticed an odor emanating from the hole in the toy.
"I decided to cut into Sophie out of curiosity and discovered a science experiment living inside," Chianese told Good Housekeeping. "Smelly, ugly mold living in my infant's favorite chew toy!"
The mold, she said, wasn't a result of improper care. She cleaned the toy as the company instructed — using hot, soapy water with a damp sponge.
"It still hurts my heart to know that for months I allowed my babies to chew on moldy toys," she said. "I no longer buy any chew toys with a hole or recommend any to my patients."
Amazon reviews confirm Chianese's concern— with photo evidence.
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"Beware!! If you have a drooly baby, moisture will get in the hole and you'll end up with mold!" reviewer Stephanie Oprea wrote. "We've had ours for two years and the entire inside is coated with black mold!"
All parenting blogs seem to have taken notice. Sophie got a particularly scathing review on What To Expect.
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Entitled "Beware Sophie The Giraffe," the post reiterates the internal mold issue:
My investigation revealed more than I had expected, and I was beyond horrified to discover that the toy my baby has been chewing on for months is completely covered in mould on the inside. Black, disgusting mould. We've followed cleaning instructions carefully, making sure to wipe it clean and not submerge it in water, so I don't understand why a baby toy would so easily become infested with mould. This post is to make parents aware of the situation, and hopefully they err on the side of caution.
Parents with Sophie the Giraffe — don't panic.
Dr. Lyuba Konopasek, an Assistant Professor of Pediatrics at New York Presbyterian/Weil Cornell Medical Center told Care.com that exposure to mold in toys is unlikely to cause a serious medical issue (except in cases where the child has an immune disorder or a serious mold allergy).
There are preventative measures to keep your children mold free, though.
According to Carolyn Forte, director of the Cleaning Lab at the Good Housekeeping Institute, "the only way to prevent mold inside plastic toys is to make sure they are cleaned and thoroughly dried."
This involves washing them in hot, sudsy water or the dishwasher, followed by disinfecting them with a solution of Clorox bleach and water. After five minutes of soaking, allow the toys to air dry.
...Don't worry, parenting gets easier when they hit their teens. Just kidding.