Cleaning Toys

Well, my warning is to stay away from the disinfectants. I just used one of those hand sanitizer liquids that you rub on and it evaporates off. Guess what, it left a residue I could taste! I rubbed my eye with my hand 30 minutes after using it and my eye swelled up and turned yellow. I had to go to an emergancy clinic and now I am wide awake in the middle of the night due to the steriods they had to put me on, which was one of four medicines! I've been rubbing this dangerous stuff on my son's hands! I will never use it again! Use warm water if you are at home, or pack some mild soap you can use and wash off in a bathroom if you are out somewhere.

Hello M. T! Well, I have to admit I am the same way when it comes to germs. What I do with new toys is wipe them off with antibacterial wipes. I wait a few minutes and then use a warm wash cloth also. When the toys fall on the floor in our house, I rinse it off, but if we are in public I bring it home and clean it off just like I do the new toys. Good luck!

haha i was afraid that as a first time mom i'd be super stressed over germs! but, as many times that pacifer came flying out, eventually i just wipe it off with my own hand and some saliva... and we were good to go. i think it helps build a better immune system! my son has been sick MAYBE 3x and he is 18months. compared to my friends' babies that always seem to have something! not to mention they lick the floor, their shoes, your shoes, and everything else in sight! i'm sure it doesn't hurt them as bad as we imagine! i pay attention to certain things that really are nasty, but eh, so far so good!

For plush toys that aren't battery operated, I put them in the gentle cycle, cold water, with a detergent called Charlie's Soap (it leaves no residue at all). I just do this every couple of months, but you could do it more often if you feel it's necessary.

Plastic/wooden toys- warm water and soap, when you think it's necessary. A couple of times I also washed plastic toys in a small tub with warm water that I added a few drops of bleach to. Only VERY LITTLE bleach is necessary to disinfect. Then I rinsed well with warm water.

I am a huge fan of lysol disinfecting wipes.There is also an off brand disinfecting wipe that works well to.If it is something that goes in his mouth I will also rinse it off afterwards to make sure he doesnt get any of the chemicals.Also baby wipes work well for teething ring because you dont have to worry about the chemicals because they arent toxic.I also have one brush I use to scrub all of his stuff like bottles bowls and teething rings.That way it doesnt have all the germs and bacteria that our dish brush or cleaning brushes might have.

I bought several tubs/containers of the wet ones antibacterial wipes. (with the Yellow Lid)
You can also get them for a little higher cost in individual packets.
I keep them in the house and in the cars and travel with them.
They are great for restaurant high chairs, toys etc. and they are okay to put on your kids hand if he picks up gum or some wierd thing off the ground outside of the house.

I always had multiple in the fridge or freezer that way you can give them a clean one and wash the other one good and that way they stay happy you can get the teethers cheap even at the dollar store if thats a problem with having a bunch.

There is a lot of evidence to prove that children that grow up in too sterile of an environment are more prone to allergies, asthma, etc. because their bodies never learn how to build up immunities to many germs and bacteria. I'm not saying you should let your children grow up in a filthy house, but I think that more harm than good is done from obsessing about cleanliness too much. If you google 'allergies 'sterile environments'' you can find plenty on this subject. I'll usually just rinse things that get too dirty or wipe them off if there is no access to water. My daughter just learned to crawl and her things are on the floor all the time so I've kind of gotten over worrying about it too much.

Pampers has a safe toy cleaner that comes in the form of a spray or a wipe. I got it at Babies r us and it is safe for them to put it right back in their mouth after you clean it. Hope this helps.

if he is anything like my son (10 1/2 mon) the older he gets he is just going to drag it across the ground anyway. When my son was 5 mon I would pick up the toy and wash it with REALLY hot water. I have since decided that were I to do that with everytoy that touched the ground I would spend all day at the sink and my son would spend all day with out toys. There are someplace that warrant a toy being out away 'til I can clean it (bathroom, most public places) but just at home I don't worry about it. Most fix-all solution stuff is poisonous for your baby anyway, hot water & vinegar (vinegar is a natural disinfectant) are your best bet

I have four girls 5 and under. They all chew on stuff. i kind of gave up on keeping things clean. when we go out I do use a cover on the cart and take extra toys so if something falls on the ground I can replace it with a clean toy. i have a small can of Lysol I can spray things with to disinfect but you don't want it to go in baby's mouth without rinsing it. I also buy food surface saniizer which doesn't need to be rinsed off.

S.

Clorox has a disinfectant spray that I spray on everything that can't be washed in the washer. If it doesn't have a battery or part that upon getting soaked would no longer work, I will run it through the dishwasher. I even wash the bath seat in the dishwasher.

As for things that drop on the floor, if it's at home I have gotten to where I double check it and hand it back. Elizabeth has a game where she drops things from her highchair. If I washed it every time, I would go insane. A little dirt doesn't hurt. Now if it gets dropped in public, it goes the the previous mentioned steps.

Good luck!

With the fist few kids, I cleaned everything all the time. With #7, forget it, who has time. They have all survived. I keep things modestly clean but do NOT disinfect when it hits the ground. Are you kidding the 2 yr old takes a bite and gives the dog a bite. The 1 yr old is doing it now too. I don't stand a chance. LOL

For me it depended on how the baby is. At five months I would say pick it up, shake it off, and give it to him. For the toys that you get at the store, I wouldn't even bother to clean them first. It's all about building a strong immunes system!