Last updated on August 20th, 2022 at 09:51 am
I’ve been watching this week’s series of “expose” reports concerning Hidden Filth on the Today Show. Today they discussed the filth lurking in children’s bath toys. My purpose for reporting it is twofold.
First, I knew bath toys could harbor mold, so I try to air dry the kid’s toys each night.
How Does Bacteria Get Into Bath Toys?
The bath water you bathed the child in has become a “bacteria soup,” they called it, which the toys marinate in. Additionally, since the tub is usually situated near the toilet, flushing can spread germs, bacterial and fecal matter as far as 20 feet. (I don’t even want to think about what that’s doing to toothbrushes).
Tips To Keep Bath Toys Clean and Safe?
- Air dry bath toys after each use, preferably somewhere away from the family toilet. A closet would be a good spot.
- Periodically run them through the dishwasher or hand wash them with soap and clean water (not bath water)
- Avoid toys with holes in them (like bath squirties); if you have bath squirties beware that they can be gross inside. In the past I have held them up to a light to see if anything was growing in there but when in doubt, chuck them or recycle them.
Bath Squirties And Containing PVC and Bacteria.
During the report, they showed kids in the tub gnawing on bath squirties and toys that were all clearly made of PVC, a toxic type of plastic. It pained me! To me, that’s worse than some exposure to e. coli. The reporter also replaced the confiscated bath toys with a big PVC duckie.
PVC can and often contain Phthalates (which softens the plastic to make it squishy), and chlorine.. not to mention the incredible strain on the environment it causes to create it.
Do you know that “shower curtain smell”? That’s you inhaling the off-gassing plastic and phthalates.
While phthalates are no longer allowed in children’s products in the United States, you need to trust the manufacturer producing the toys. Since most plastic bath toys are made in China, I would strongly recommend choosing a company that does independent third-party testing for safety.
Safer Bath Toy Options
First, throw out bath squirty toys. They are impossible to clean and potentially a real hazard.
Instead of choosing unsafe bath toys, I recommend the Boon Bath Toys and Caaocho, which are just as good, if not way cooler and more fun.
There are other PVC-free bath toys, but many have holes that make cleaning tough. Furthermore, other bath toys are made from badly off-gassing foam (think foam letters).
Please email me if you have any PVC-free safer bath toys you love; I love hearing from fellow SafeMamas.
