Bath Toy Scum...blagh

Whose children like to drink the water out of their rubber bath toys? Ah a show of hands….My kids do…Have you ever squirt the water out and seen the disgustingness that comes out? Gooey grey chunks, slimy scum. Just the kinds of things we want our children to ingest. Yes, bathtub toys DO make bath time go more smoothly, but they also pose a problem. The stuff, which looks like it should be coming from a petri dish instead of a toy your child sucks on, is probably mold. Bath toys are a perfect breeding ground for it. "You have an enclosed space where a few organisms can get in and they don't get out," explains Dr. Lyuba Konopasek, an Assistant Professor of Pediatrics at NewYork-Presbyterian/Weil Cornell Medical Center and mother of two. "It's almost like standing water."
Don’t freak out….Dr. Paul Williams of Northwest Asthma and Allergy Center and a member of the American Academy of Pediatrics' Section on Allergy and Immunology says, "[Parents] don't need to be worried in the sense that their child's health may be harmed by ordinary quantities of mold in the environment. There are thousands of mold spores in the air that we breathe every day. So, in a lot of ways, molds are just a part of our everyday environment and our system handles it quite nicely."
I know my kids have slurped down plenty of watery yuck despite my repeated warnings to cease and desist. "The likelihood of a child getting sick from this is close to zero," notes Dr. Konopasek. She compares ingesting mold from a bath toy to accidentally giving your child a piece of moldy bread to eat. It's just going to come out when the child goes to the bathroom. Dr. Konopasek adds that the only kids who could potentially be at risk are those who have immune problems, or those younger than three months old.

So while the dampness of the bathroom encourages the growth of mold and mildew, and the use of harsh chemicals can pose risks for your little ones. It's important to clean the toys off in a safe, environmentally friendly way.

SAFE INGREDIENTS:
* 2 cups apple cider vinegar (can substitute white vinegar if needed)
* .5L Warm water (filtered is best)
* 2 Foaming denture cleansing tablets- available at drug stores or grandma’s medicine cabinet.

1. Mix vinegar and water in a plastic bucket.
2. Add toys. If they are not covered, add more vinegar and warm water.
3. Weight down floating toys if possible.
4. Soak toys overnight.
5. After toys have soaked, scrub with a bristle cleaning brush.
6. Rinse thoroughly with clean water.
7. If the vinegar soak does not remove all the mold, use another step.
8. Put the toys in another bucket, and cover with warm water.
9. Add denture tablets. Allow to soak overnight.

Most parents would prefer that their children avoid playing with toys that look as if they've been soaking in a cesspool. Dr. Konopasek offers the following tips for cleaning your child's bath time buddies:

* "Try washing plastic toys in a mild dish soap with warm water," suggests Dr. Konopasek. "If it's good enough for my dishes, then it's fine for my kids' toys because they're all going to go in their mouths." Dr. Konopasek is hesitant to advise parents to stick bath toys in the dishwasher. In addition to running the risk of the toys melting, she says, "I'm not a fan of getting hot fluid in there and then possibly squirting out and burning your kid." I have yet to run them through my dishwasher but I do have some in at the moment that I thought I would try. I am REALLY hoping they don’t melt.

* What if you have a toy like a rubber duck with a hole and there's mold growing inside? "You need to throw it out. Once that mold is there, it's time to get a new duck," says Dr. Konopasek. Next time, you might want to stay away from toys with holes. Some people seal up the holes using a glue gun. Smart huh? I’ll have to try it. NOTE: If your toy has a "squeak" mechanism, sealing the hole will also prevent it from squeaking. If you'd prefer not to do that, you will just need to clean the toy again in the future. If you do have the toys with holes try the above “technique” If that doesn’t work then its time to junk them and spend another $9-$16 on new toys. Drag.

* Wash items such as washcloths and terry cloth hand puppets along with your regular laundry at least once a week. If you aren’t doing that anyway………um…….

* Store bath toys where they can drain, such as inside a mesh bag. Avoid keeping toys in buckets or other receptacles where water can collect. Always drain toys between baths. You can make it a game with the kids, a sort of getting out of the bath, cleaning up your toys ritual.

If you want to go the unfriendly way. (Which I am guilty of…I know, hypocrite, but the grody black goo freaks me out) then you can do the following:
*Mix a solution of bleach water with 1 part bleach to 10 parts water.
*Add toys to the cleaning solution and allow to sit for 15 minutes. If toys have a hole and the mold is inside the toy, make sure to suck cleaning solution into the toy.
Squeeze the water out of the toys and rinse with clear water (inside and out). When squeezing out the toy, make sure the hole is AWAY from you. I ruined a shirt this morning. Waa.
Allow to dry completely.

Hopefully, we can all conquer the sludge.
Good luck!

-SBH