So recently I’ve noticed the bath has been a little dirty and I couldn’t really understand it because most of her toys spent time in hot water, so I assumed they’d be clean, but I was wrong. When Emily was super tiny she had a Sophie la Girafe teething toy. She loved it and it was one of her favourites alongside her bug-a-loop. Fast forward 6 months and she wasn’t that interested and over a few days she started to have this black stuff on her face. Upon further inspection I noticed it was from the giraffe, cut it open and found it to be mouldy. What the f*ck?
It seems silly to think we’re almost naive to the fact, but mould and bacteria can quickly build up on the toys, whether in the bath or outside. Emily loves water and loves to sit in the bath sucking the water out of her toys. We’re always telling her not to or pushing the toy away but she thinks it’s funny and will sneakily find a way to do so.
Anything that traps moisture is a potential breeding ground for mould. All these toys can fester mould. Thankfully upon opening some of Emily’s toys they weren’t gunky, but the fact that they can be a breeding ground for mould and bacteria is enough for me and I chucked them out, maybe it was time.
It’s good to know that mould isn’t generally dangerous, because our children’s exposure to it is relatively low, but it’s still preventable. Most products that become mouldy are easy to clean if you don’t want to throw out but depends on what and the size of them. It’s usually difficult to notice, like I, when products are mouldy. To inspect bath toys and other toys with holes in them, fill them with water and then squeeze or shake the water out. If the water comes out accompanied by dark filth, you’ve got mould.
Once mould has got inside a product, if the item is small like bath toys and silly cups, just accept defeat and throw them out. If toys are bigger, soak them overnight in a mixture of 3/4 of a cup of bleach to one gallon of water, and then allow them to air dry.
How to prevent mould build up in bath toys:
- Change your bath toys every few months
- Don’t buy bath toys that can trap water
- Clean the bath toys with vinegar and warm water every few weeks
Missy, Me & Him 
I’m so scared of my little one having toys in the bath for this very reason. The only ones he gets in there are a couple of plastic boats from the pound shop with no holes in or anything that can keep water inside but I still change them every month. Lucky they come in a pack of 6 for a pound xx
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That’s not bad at all. I need to go check those out. I bought some other ones but they’re so annoying – squeaky, but they’re currently downstairs on the toy box. Squeaky could mean water blockage. Let’s not! xx
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