Cleaning Pacifiers/toys

They say with the first child you always want every thing to be sterilized, spotless, and organized.

The second one is much less so.

And the third one you let the dog clean the pacifier. (joke intended.!

I rinsed mine with the hottest water I could get out of the faucet. That way I always had it handy. As your child gets more active and you take it with you you need to easily clean things and have peace of mind. Always have two pacifiers handy. If you drop a pacifier in a public place take one of the dups. Rinse all the things at home or put them through the dishwasher if you can wait that long.

By the way, exposure to germs as a baby and toddler has been shown to make adults have allergies. So relax a little. Just keep her reasonably clean for the most part.

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For dropping something in general, I know how it is being a first time mom, but try not to worry about it too much. If something falls just wipe it off with a wipe if it needs it. It's actually good for babies and little ones to get exposure to germs, it helps strengthen there immunity. With my 1st child (daughter), I bought some special toy cleaner spray, at Toys R Us or something, and boiled pacifiers or anything that could stand the heat...put stuffed animals in the dryer on high heat, that kind of stuff. But, with my son who just turned a year...this little guy puts EVERYTHING in his mouth. Whether it's a toy or not, so some things you don't really have any control over. Probably because he's my second, I haven't really been all that into cleaning his pacifiers and toys like I was the first time around. A little soap and water works fine. Soap and water effectively washes away a great deal of "transient" germs, and the ones that are left aren't really enough to lead to infection.

I think it's a mental thing...you want to keep them safe and protected, but at the same time making sure the toys are always sterile isn't necessary, it's kind of a waste of energy. My son has actually been sick much less then my daughter was and he has definitely been exposed to more.

It's up to you how you do it at home (I know when I last cleaned and respond accordingly!), but in public once things hit the ground, they're done until we get home. We clean things in the dishwasher fairly regularly or in the laundry (no dryer) depending on what they're made of. I've seen many moms be much more lax, but you really just have to do what you're comfortable with. Vinegar works (I think it's 10:1) but just plain water is probably just as well for most things. If a sick kid plays with our toys we use lysol wipes to disinfect and then rinse with water so she's not eating the chemicals.

For pacifiers...I just regularly wash them in the dishwasher. And for toys you can get Clorox disifectant wipes that are safe for children...and wipe down the toys ona regular basis, and you should be covered!

I use vinegar for all of my cleaning now that my kids are old enough to help. I just wish I would have started much earlier since it is natural and so multi-purpose. I use a mixture of 1/2 'n 1/2 for most everthing, but I don't think it has to be that strong. I'm just keep thinking that if a little works good then more must work better. I even put it in our laundry on the rinse cycle for an extra whitener and a fabric softener. Vinegar is a good deal at Costco - I think for 2 gallons it's only $3.00 and some change. For many more ways to use vinegar take a look at the website I found www.vinegartips.com/cleaning . On a different note: please try not to be too worried about the germ thing. Kids now a days don't seem to get exposed enough to regular old germs and that's what build their good and strong immune systems. Your child/children are going to put far worse things in their mouth than a binky that's fallen onto the mall floor or playing with toys that they and your family play with. Good luck and happy cleaning.

I just clean mine every once in a while in the dishwasher. If they fall on the ground, I just wipe them off and give them back to my daughter.

Yes, we boil our daughter's pacifiers in vinegar and water. We mix about 4 cups water with 1/4 cup of vinegar. We also wash many of her toys in the dishwasher. Good ol' hot soapy water works well too.

One thing I did was got a clip that is specifically made to attach to a pacifier so when it drops from the mouth, it is attached to the clothing and does not drop on the floor.

It is great that you are not using bleach - one of the many cancer causing agents among other things! I am with a company that has non-toxic cleaning supplies. They smell better than vinegar!

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Hot water and soap is sufficient and required. I gather all binkys at the end of the day and pop them in the dishwasher. Of course, now at her age she just picks it up and pops it back into her mouth! Not a lot I can do about that. (She's 18 months)
Have Fun!

Looks like you have a lot of good responses already, but I thought I'd throw this in to make you feel better.

There has been research done on the "5 second rule" of dropping things on the ground. They have found, that it takes longer than that (I can't remember how long...) for any significant bacteria to adhere to an object once it has touched the ground. So, if you drop a paci in public and don't have a spare, just rinse it off and you should be fine!

I think that you need to do what you are comfortable with. Once the baby starts to hang out on the floor/ground, there is little you can do to prevent hands going into the mouth...We (like others have suggested) ran things through the dishwasher (toys and pacifiers) or just rinsed with warm water. We also used the spray that is made for hard surfaces for toys. I think that a regular wipe down with a damp cloth is great for most toys...

I always carried a few extra cleaned pacifiers with me in my diaper bag when going out. If I was out in public and it dropped to the ground I won't give him a dirty one back to put into his mouth, just like I wouldn't pick up gum I dropped to the ground and put it back in my mouth yuck! I washed them with soap and warm water when I got home. I also won't use bleach water, especially with a pacifier. I don't think it's necessary to use vinegar, but if you do my guess is to a quart of water I'd add 1 Tablespoon and let it soak.

When you go out, always bring a back up and buy one of those binkie leash things. It clips on to the end of the pacifier and hooks on to their coat, sling, etc. That way when it falls out of their mouth it isn't reaching the floor.

I always just cleaned them up by using my steamer that I had for bottles - or if I was at my Mom's house or something I would boil them.

Cleaning is good - especially in public areas, but also don't be too paranoid. Your kid can't live in a bubble and believe it or not, but a healthy exposure to germs can be good for their immune system. Studies are now showing an increase in things like asthma because we've become a Purell Nation.

Hi R.,

I am the mother of four, ranging in age from 5-20. I always carried a multitude of pacifiers and toys that mine liked to chew on. I carried two ziploc bags. One full of clean toys and pacifiers, and one for those that needed cleaning. Pacifiers I would boil for about 8 minutes for cleaning. Toys, I would simply wash with an antibacterial dishsoap. Worked great...but make sure you let the toys dry out very well so that mold doesn't develop inside them.

Good luck,

D. P.

I'm sure that you've heard the jokes where a first time mom sterilizes the pacifier every time it falls, the mom with a second child puts it in her mouth and then gives it back, the third time mom just pops it back in the kid's mouth. LOL, there are some truths to that joke. I remember when my oldest was born and I was very concerned. I still worry to a bit about germs, but honestly if you just wipe it off with something (like a wet wipe), the baby will probebly be fine.

Best of luck!!

With my first child I kept a baggie full of water wet papertowels and used as needed. By my 5th ( sorry all you new moms LOL) you just pick it up, dust it off and in it goes. I would not do this with a 3 month old, but as they get older, there is no way to keep germs off and out of them. As for toys, depending on the toy- dishwasher or steam cleaner works great and I have always washed stuffed animals in the washer and have only lost a few.
I really would not worry about it until your child is older and has friends over to play- then I would start with the bleach...

I'm not much for chemical cleaners on things that go in mouths so I cannot speak for those.

I usually kept a couple of pacifiers with me and swapped them out as they hit the floor/ground/street in public places. When I got home, I'd boil them according to the instructions. For disinfecting, I wouldn't go weaker than 1:1.

I have not been as careful with toys, but most of the ones that left the house were things that could be easily laundered and cleaned. It is remarkable how many plush toys are labeled "surface wash only" - I made a few of my own just so I could pop them in the wash easily when they got too drooly.

My aunt likes to talk about how first-time moms are very concerned when such an event happens and go to great lengths to sanitize the pacifier. By the second child, they will maybe rinse it off with water, and by the third child they'll wipe it on their pants and poke it back in. She's not too far off, but really, it might be easiest to just carry a couple of extra pacifiers should one end up on the floor. The dishwasher is a wonderful help for all sorts of baby things. There are little baskets you can buy so that small things like pacifiers don't go flying all around.

I just try to have extras around so I can throw the dirty ones in the dishwasher when I get home, ours has a cycle that sanitizes.

R.,
When our 1st son was born, I was the same way. Anything that fell on the floor, I took away to clean it before he got it back. I even went as far as boiling things. Now I know better. Kids need to be exposed to some germs in order to build up their immune system.
I would just clean everything with soapy water just like you would wash dishes by hand and rinse, but only the things that fall in your home. I feel that bleach is extreme and ridiculous.
As far as cleaning things in public places, keep an extra pacifier on hand and wash everything when you get home. I also use Kirkland baby wipes from Costco and use them to clean up too.
I completely understand, but don't worry everything will work out okay.
Best wishes to you and the new baby.

Congratulations on your baby!! Our children are such incredible gifts!!

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I wish you and your family the very best!!

Run them through the dishwasher.

Personally I can't quite do the Bleach cleaner either. I am to scared of the baby getting it in their mouths. I only take toys with me when out an about that i can wash in the washer. As far as binkies i ALWAYS boil them when they drop on the store floors or when i am out and about. Their are way to many germs on the floors and shoes for me!! I have a Ziplock bag i put dirty binkies in and then when get home boil all of them that were in the bag. This requiers having alot of back up binkies since you don't wipe it offf and put back in there mouths!!

I have always just used the dishwasher.