Moldy Bath Toys

A squeeze toy with a small hole that has water in it after bath time, or any toy with a closed cavity you can't see into or dry out.

A 2018 Swiss study (Neu et al., npj Biofilms and Microbiomes, via Eawag) found potentially pathogenic bacteria in 80% of the bath toys studied and fungi in almost 60% of the real household toys. It measured microbes, not actual infections, and the researcher noted squirting toy water could cause eye, ear or gut infections. The researcher also noted that some microbial exposure may be harmless or even beneficial. The study gives no cleaning advice; our practical read is that the closed cavity is the problem, so choose solid toys or ones that open wide enough to drain and dry, and squeeze out and air-dry after every bath.