Parents never want to put their baby at risk. So, when a close look at "Sophie the Giraffe" revealed an alarming amount of mold inside the popular baby teether, a cry of outrage hit social media. Parents making the terrible discovery are warning others of the hazard lurking within the soft, rubber toy.
Pediatric dentist, Dana Chianese, has two sons under the age of three. Both are big fans of "Sophie the Giraffe."
But as Dana was cleaning the toy, she noticed a musty smell coming out of the hole on the bottom. Concerned, she took a closer look.
"I decided to cut into Sophie out of curiosity and discovered a science experiment living inside," she recalled. "Smelly, ugly mold living in my infant's favorite chew toy!"
Dana says she always followed the cleaning instructions, using a damp sponge to wipe the toy down. Never did she submerge the giraffe in water.
So, the sight of mold inside the popular baby teether shocked and sickened her.
"It still hurts my heart to know that for months I allowed my babies to chew on moldy toys," she says. "I no longer buy any chew toys with a hole or recommend any to my patients."
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And Dana is not the only outraged parent. Amazon user Stephanie Opera warned other parents of what she found after cutting into her child's Sophie.
"Beware!! If you have a drooly baby, moisture will get in the hole and you'll end up with mold!" she wrote in her review on Amazon. "We've had ours for two years and the entire inside is coated with black mold!"
The upset expressed by parents is understandable. In most cases the mold inside the popular baby teether is more disgusting than dangerous. But it's important for parents to watch out, especially if their child has an allergy to mold or an immune disorder. Carolyn Forte, the director of the Cleaning Lab at the Good Housekeeping Institute, suggests using specific cleaning techniques intended to prevent mold.
"The only way to prevent mold inside plastic toys is to make sure they are cleaned and thoroughly dried," she says. "The best way to clean washable plastic toys is in hot sudsy water or in the dishwasher. Then, disinfect them with a solution of 1/2 cup Clorox bleach per gallon of water. Soak them for five minutes, rinse and air dry."
Please be sure to share this story with anyone you know with Sophie the Giraffe in their home!
h/t: Good Housekeeping