Why It Doesn’t Matter If Your Kid’s Sophie is Moldy

Why It Doesn’t Matter If Your Kid’s Sophie is Moldy

Sophie is moldy: is it an emergency? Maybe. But if you’re kid is healthy, probably not. Here’s why.

A recent viral post on social media has parents and caregivers swirling about in a frenzy.

Goodhousekeeping.com has posted photos of a child’s teething toy cut open and found to be filled with black mold.

Not only is this gross but the irony is, the dirty toy was a Sophie, a tool that parents like to buy for their teething babies because the extremely popular giraffe is known for being made of real rubber and not synthetic materials.

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Parents love the fact that it’s made of “natural material” as they often wish to ease their child’s pain, but limited their exposure to plastics.

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Filled with black mold, Sophie reputation as a healthy alternative definitely diminishes.

Should parents be in a panic, though? The good news is that experts say, no.

How to Avoid Mold

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If you wash your Sophie in the dishwasher, take her in the bath or soak her completely in any other way, yes, you could likely have a bunch of black stuff growing inside her.

She has an opening, even when brand new, and this is where the water gets in. When this happens, the toy never completely dries out on the inside and the mold begins to brew.

Related: No Baby Products on the Market Will Prevent SIDS

But if you haven’t gotten Sophie completely wet, it’s probably all OK.

To clean a Sophie, it’s recommended that parents run a damp cloth over the giraffe, and nothing more.

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If you have submerged your child’s toy and you’re worried, sure, get rid of it. Buy a new one if you want, or get something else. If you’re not worried, hey, it’s up to you.

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The experts are saying that even with exposure to the black mold, most kids will be OK. The danger comes when the child is exposed to the mold and is suffering from some other ailment that’s bringing their immune system down, something such as cancer, or if a child has an actual allergy to mold.

If your child’s Sophie hasn’t gotten wet, it’s likely OK. If you’re really worried though, change your path and give your kid an uncut carrot to gnaw on (it’s usually too tough for them to break a piece off), or try some of these wooden teething rings, and rest at ease.

Photo credit: Robcartorres/Shutterstock

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