Gross! Today Show segment on bath toys

[wendibird22]

Um, I think DD1 will be bathing w/out toys from now on!

http://www.msnbc.msn.com/id/26184891/vp/35704731#35685464

[infomama]

Oh ya, those toys with holes are so gross. We got rid of all those a long time ago when one squirted out black stuff (gag). Now we only have hard toys we can easily clean like these. http://www.fatbraintoys.com/toy_companies/international_playthings/water_symphony.cfm and these http://www.townsquaretoys.com/ProductDetails.asp?ProductCode=AL4005&click=2. They both have their own 'bath' in the dishwasher every couple of weeks.

Also a big fan of bath crayons as they keep the kids occupied and aren't too messy.

[kochh2]

*BARF!!!* i think i will be filling our tub with bleach and water and giving our TOYS a bath tonight!!!

[SnuggleBuggles]

I learned that lesson IRL the first time I decided to disinfect ds1's bath toys. They were so, so gross, especially toys that had holes. I was horrified and made a switch to solid toys and not very many of them. I admit that I have been lax on cleaning though and that is on my to-do list. Luckily ds2 doesn't seem to like bath toys and ds1 has outgrown them. I tend to just give ds2 a fresh plastic cup to play with and that keeps him happy.

Beth

[bubbaray]

Totally not watching that video. Barf.

We tossed all our toys with holes a LONG time ago. Blech.

[lchang25000]

*BARF!!!* i think i will be filling our tub with bleach and water and giving our TOYS a bath tonight!!!

:yeahthat: GROSS!!!! :barf:

[crl]

Yes, gross. We long ago switched to just a pitcher and cups that don't have any place for gross stuff to hide and that go in the dishwasher every couple of weeks.

Catherine

[KrisM]

I don't understand why they even make these toys. We got rid of ours a long time ago as well. Then, someone gave us some for Christmas. They are not bath toys - they're soft car toys.

[KathyN115]

Yeah, I found this out a few years ago the hard way. I was squeezing the water out of one of the toys, and some of the black gunk came out with it! YUCK! Needless to say, no more toys with holes in them now. DD loves plastic cups, bath crayons, bubbles, spray bottles, etc. and these get soaked in bleach every once in a while.

[sewarsh]

Once, shortly after my DD was potty trained i was attending to DS. I turned around and there was all that black stuff...i thought my DD had diarrhead in the tub. i actually scolded her, "DD, why didn't you telll me you had to go poopies"... Then she squirted it and i saw the black stuff come out. i was disgusted and felt guilty at the smae time!!

needless to say we threw them out and never again bought bathtoys with holes in them.

[Melaine]

Yuck. We had them for a bit and then trashed them. I never saw the black stuff but was afraid it was in there....
now they play with a plastic tea set and it's easy to keep clean.

[BelleoftheBallFlagstaff]

DH has always been creeped out by them, so we never had them. Rubber duckies have PVC, so as soon as we knew we tossed those, too. DD really never had many bath toys, deprived child. ;)

[ett]

We tossed all the bath squirt toys a long time ago.

[DietCokeLover]

We tossed them too. I saw the black stuff and freaked! We now have cups and I just recently bought a couple of little boats for them to play with.

[alien_host]

Ok the discussion of the spraying of the fecal matter when flushing the toilet made me want to puke! Ick, ick, ick I'm trying not to dwell on it! (what about the toothbrushes!)

[sunshine873]

OMG! I skipped the video and went right to the replies. Now I don't even want to watch the video. DD loves some of those toys with holes, but I never even thought about them not getting clean. Ugh! I'm throwing them out!

[alien_host]

OK the next video was about stores (like Victoria's Secret/Bloomingdales) selling returned worn/used underwear...ick!

going to post another thread!

[Melaine]

OK the next video was about stores (like Victoria's Secret/Bloomingdales) selling returned worn/used underwear...ick!

going to post another thread!


I was wondering what was with the thongs on the title screen....ewwww.

[DebbieJ]

we just threw out a whole bunch of them.

[GaPeach_in_Ca]

I don't know. I mean, none of these kids were getting sick. I'm pretty sure my kids have never gotten sick from theirs.

I suppose I'll have to toss them now, well at least the ones with holes.

Why do we have to be so paranoid these days? Takes all the fun out of things.

[ThreeofUs]

We tossed all our toys with holes a LONG time ago. Blech.


:yeahthat: Holes in bath toys = black mold and stinky smells, at least around here.

We use cups and other assorted boat type toys.

:barf:

[DrSally]

I'm going to get rid of the toys with holes tonight. blech

[DrSally]

OK the next video was about stores (like Victoria's Secret/Bloomingdales) selling returned worn/used underwear...ick!

going to post another thread!

What?!.......

[newg]

I just walked in to DD's bath with DH and tossed out all the toys with holes.....of course these are her favorite too....so now I need to search for some animal bath toys that don't have holes

[alirebco]

Check out these new bath ducks where you can open up the bottom. They're PVC free and made in the US! I got 2 of them the other week for DS.

http://www.amazon.com/Dano-Duckie-bath-teether-Dano2/dp/B002ZJOB68/ref=sr_1_1?ie=UTF8&s=toys-and-games&qid=1267834500&sr=8-1

[slworld]

Ok the discussion of the spraying of the fecal matter when flushing the toilet made me want to puke! Ick, ick, ick I'm trying not to dwell on it! (what about the toothbrushes!)

The suggestion is to always close the cover before flushing. Apparently it can spray upto 20 feet.

Now I need to go purge the bath toys!

[wendibird22]

According to the video it's not just the toys with the holes. Those are the worst offenders, but even the hard toys have surface bacteria and gunk. Thankfully DD1 doesn't really play with toys too often in the bath so I don't think she'll miss them.

[DrSally]

According to the video it's not just the toys with the holes. Those are the worst offenders, but even the hard toys have surface bacteria and gunk. Thankfully DD1 doesn't really play with toys too often in the bath so I don't think she'll miss them.

I would give the toys an occassional bath in diluted bleach. I think one of the keys is to let them air dry thoroughly. We have ours air dry in a plastic colander in the tub.

[2Carol]

Here's what I do:

First off a number of the "toys" are really kitchen items - small plastic glasses, tuperware sorts of things, etc. These always go through a dishwasher cycle after the bath and yes it's important that your dishwasher have a "sani" cycle for that to be effective.

Second after the kids are out of the bath and the water is drained I rinse the walls, tub, and toys. I then wipe and dry the walls and tub with a towel and leave the toys to dry on a towel. Most molds for example need a warm moist environment so if you rinse off what you can and then dry everything you are less likely to have mold.

The toys then go into a container that is filled with water and a glug or two of bleach. I know the "disinfectant" says 1 tablespoon to a gallon of water but that seems a little lite to me. I use more than that - it's more like a 1/2 cup in a gallon. The toys sit in this solution for some time (like until the children are asleep, the house is picked up etc. Sometimes it's the next morning . More contact time with the bleach solution can't hurt. I dump off the solution and allow the toys that can't go through the dishwasher to dry. The ones that will survive the dishwasher go there.

We have a set of foam letters and numbers that stick to the tile walls when they are wet. These I have not tried in the dishwasher. I have a mesh drawstring bag that the toys not in the dishwasher hang in so air can circulate.

If you watched the video you can also watch the others in the series - your vacuum spreading germs throughout the house, germs in the kitchen (who uses a sponge anymore doesn't everyone know they are full of germs? It's so easy to use a fresh dishcloth every day - or even after every meal and washing a couple dishcloths is not a burden) - the returned panties being sold as new mentioned above - and one showing that seeming clean rental cars and rental baby seats are truly disgusting.

[toby]

This video was really disgusting but...it is important to keep it all in perspective and remember that keeping our children TOO clean can also have negative consequences. We want to expose our kids to some germs so they can build up immunities. The increase in allergies in children has been linked to the prevalence of sanitizing everything.

I am pretty obsessive and get really grossed out thinking about the germs on grocery carts, door knobs etc, in addition to those in my house...and for this reason I try not to watch videos like this (it makes me want to put on full body protection!) When I get too freaked out, I remind myself (as does DH who is a doctor) that we don't want to go overboard.

My dad got Hodgkin's Disease when he was 38 and died when he was 44. I have read some papers/articles that say that since Hodgkin's disease is rarely seen in indigent people, the thought is that people who get it have been kept too clean and have not been exposed to certain viruses at a young age. Therefore, their body can't defend against a more major virus that they get when they are older.

I am not explaining this well and please don't flame me... I just want to encourage people to not panic!

[lchang25000]

germs in the kitchen (who uses a sponge anymore doesn't everyone know they are full of germs? It's so easy to use a fresh dishcloth every day - or even after every meal and washing a couple dishcloths is not a burden)

What if the sponge is washed in the dishwasher everyday? I use a sponge, but not to wash dishes, only to rinse them and remove food particles before putting them into the dishwasher.

[SnuggleBuggles]

I know what you are saying, toby. I feel the same way. I don't go to great lengths to prevent germs. Some basic common sense things but even then not as much as some other people. My kids are just as healthy (Actually healthier) than their peers that have parents that are far more fanatic about germs and cleanliness. I have no problem trying to help them build up a good immune system.

Beth

[SnuggleBuggles]

What if the sponge is washed in the dishwasher everyday? I use a sponge, but not to wash dishes, only to rinse them and remove food particles before putting them into the dishwasher.

Or microwaved for a few seconds? It's under 30, right? I don't use sponges for preference but I really don't worry about common household germs. Had I just used the sponge to wipe down the kitchen table I wouldn't worry about those germs. If I used it to wipe up raw meat then I would take the time to clean it.

Beth

[liz]

I have to say that I kind of agree with Toby. We have bath toys with holes in them and I do not plan to throw them out. I definitely do the bleach/water disinfectant with all the toys. As far as the tooth brushes, well, with 3 boys and a husband, I don't think anyone else is going to close the lid besides me. :tongue5:

[Naranjadia]

I'm with Toby on this one, too. We have replaced bath toys and try to keep them clean, but I do not want to create anywhere near a sterile environment for my kids. Their immune systems need some challenges.

There are an endless supply of gross-out factoids: did you know that 25% of all purses/backpacks have e coli on them?

[Melaine]

I agree, I try to limit the germophobia, because it can be so difficult to draw the line. The black gunk is gross, but I'm not really comfortable using bleach anymore so runs through the dishwasher once in awhile are good enough for me (solid toys without holes) or quick clean with vinegar.

The water in the dishwasher is hot enough to sanitize without an actual sanitize cycle, IMO.

[happymom]

I'm glad to see I'm not the only one who is not running to get rid of the bath toys...the scientist said himself that kids arent necessarily getting sick from them. I squeeze out the water from the toys after the bath and let them dry out. DD doesnt even put them in her mouth. But like PP's said, there are germs everywhere and our bodies are designed to fight them. Trust me, I'm probably more germ conscious than most, but I think there are limits to everything, kwim?

That video was meant to freak you out, thats for sure. Am I the only one who thought they intentially used a darkish, sort of dingy looking bathroom?