Keeping your Baby Toys Clean so your Child can Stay Healthy

23 Apr Keeping your Baby Toys Clean so your Child can Stay Healthy

When you’re a parent, your child becomes the centre of your universe and you want to keep them safe. They are young and unknowing and you’re responsible for shaping their lives and making sure they are left with the proper skill set that will turn them into successful adults. There are so many milestones that they will reach throughout their lives: their first car, their first house, their first girlfriend or boyfriend. Before all this though, they are playing with toys, crawling on different surfaces, and touching everything they can put their hands on. At this point in their lives, you have something else to worry about; making sure they don’t swallow any small pieces and keeping them safe.

Your house is a playground for your small children. When you spend a day at the park you make sure to give your children a bath before you let them go on about their day to wash away any lingering germs. But what you may not think about are all the germs that accumulate on their toys. Your child is constantly putting their fingers in their mouths, touching different objects and repeating this behaviour. Although the object that they are playing with may seem clean, it can be filled with germs and bacteria that can lead to them getting sick and in the worst-case scenario, to disease.

We are here to show you how to get your baby toys spick-and-span so that the bacteria, dirt and grime that have collected on them do not affect your children’s health. The most important piece of information is on the tag. Here, you will find instructions on how to care for your toys and which methods of cleaning work. For example, a lot of the tags will tell you whether machine washing your baby’s toys is okay or not.

Dishwasher
It’s very important that you read the label so you are sure whether this cleaning option is viable. For a lot of heat-resistant plastic toys, you can place them in your dishwasher with your regular dishes to get them clean. The hot water sanitizes while the dishwashing detergent removes any dirt or grime.

Washing Machine
This option is meant for any fabric-based toys like teddy bears and other stuffed animals. As mentioned above, you want to make sure that the label says this toy is machine washable. If it doesn’t, you can ruin the toy!

If the label on your toys advises against putting them in a washing machine or dishwasher to clean, then you need to find another solution. Luckily, it’s not too difficult although it takes a little bit more manpower and time. As seen in an article on the Fisher Price website, cleaning baby toys by hand is easy, all you need is a clean cloth, some soap, warm water, and a diluted bleach solution.

Plastic toys can be washed in a bowl filled with hot water and soap. Clean the surface of each toy to get rid of any dirt build-up and then use a sanitizing agent before leaving them to dry. For battery-operated toy, only clean and sanitize the surface.

For stuffed animals and other toys made from fabric that cannot be cleaned by using your washing machine, take a cloth, water and cleaning solution and hand wash. If the toy has batteries, remove them before following through with this step. Once you’ve hand washed the toy, you can let it air dry or use a hairdryer to make the process go a little bit faster. For most stuffed animals, putting them in a washing machine will be sufficient just make sure to read the label!

You can also bring your children’s stuffed animals to be professionally cleaned every half a year to ensure that they have been sanitized and are safe for play. Some cleaners also have a great program that will make sure your stuffed animals are clean so your children can stay healthy, and will restore them to their original state making them look brand new!