Keep Your Baby’s Bath Toys Safe and Healthy

If you have a baby or toddler, chances are, bath time is also play time. Infants and toddlers typically love splashing around in the water and playing with their beloved bath toys. These bath toys, unfortunately, can be harmful to your baby’s health if they are not properly cared for. Follow these tips to insure that your baby’s bath time is safe and healthy.

Use only bath specific toys. While you may be tempted to throw all sorts of fun toys into the water with your baby, stick to toys that are specifically designed for use in water. Toys designed for use in a bathtub are able to dry appropriately and contain only waterproof parts. A toy that has been painted, for instance, when placed in water may start to peel. Some plastic coatings and other coverings can come loose as well and could pose a choking risk for your baby.

Allow the toys to dry thoroughly. This is a very important step to keeping your baby’s bath toys safe and healthy. Invest in a simple bath toy bag or other container designed specifically for baby bath toys. Once bath time is over for the night, put all of the toys in the container to dry thoroughly. If toys are left on the bottom of the tub they can easily form mold and mildew, which can be very harmful to your child and to you.

Bath toys need cleaning too. Because your baby’s bath toys are constantly submerged in water, you might be tempted to never clean them. Bath toys do, however, need to be cleaned periodically. Sanitizing sprays such as Clorox Daily Sanitizing Spray, or a run through the dishwasher if the toy is dishwasher safe, will give your baby’s bath toys a thorough cleaning and keep them safe. A great way to make sure the toys get cleaned is to keep them on a rotation. Always have some toys in the bathtub to be played with, while others have been cleaned and are in wait. Then when you are ready to clean the toys in the tub, you can replace them with the already sanitized ones.

Keep bath toys in the bath. It is a good idea to only allow your baby to play with his bath toys while in the bath. This makes sure that the toys don’t grab germs from other places, and then end up depositing the germs in bath water, which can easily get into your baby’s eyes, ears, nose, or mouth, potentially causing harm. Reserve bath toys for bath time.

Bath time is so much fun babies and their parents. Keep your baby safe and healthy during her bath time by following the above suggestions.