Mum left horrified after opening daughter's old teething toy
A doctor has raced to TikTok to raise awareness after she cut open one of her daughter's old teething toys. Prepare to inspect every toy you have in your house immediately:
Now, we all know kids stuff any grotty thing they can lay their hands on into their mouths - sand, mud pies, the dog's tail, literally anything.
However, if you buy a teething toy for your little one, you expect it to be clean.
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One mum found out if you let your baby use the toy, but then discard it for a year, it's probably best to bin it rather than passing it down to your next newborn.
Dr Katie H - an emergency doctor and mum to two kids under two - took to TikTok to invite followers to 'cut open Amelia's Sophie the giraffe' with her.
In the video the mum says: "She got this when she was a baby and she loved it, she'd chew on it all the time.
"She's not used it for about a year now, it's been packed away. But she recently found it and gave it to baby Alexander to play with.
"But he's already been gifted a new one, so I decided let's cut this open and see how gross it really is inside, and if it's not that bad then baby Alexander can play with it."
'A bit scared', Dr Katie arms herself with a pair of scissors and cuts the giraffe toy open.
Upon seeing the inside of the teething toy, the mum reacts: "Oh my god. No way. Oh my god, I just got goosebumps. I'm going to have to throwout these scissors.
"Oh my god, the thought that this has been anywhere near my baby's mouth.
"Look how mouldy it is. That is gross. Woah if that is what a chew toy looks like inside, imagine what the inside of bath toys look like."
Sadly for Sophie, it doesn't take long before Dr Katie resolves to plopping her in the bin and saying: "Bye, bye Sophie."
Viewers of Dr Katie's video have flocked to the comments to weigh in on teething toy hygiene.
One argued: "I think even if it was clean inside and you cut it open baby Alexander could no longer play with it."
"My inner nerd wants to put that under a microscope," another said.
A third added: "Doesn't it say on the packaging that the toys should only be used for three months? I'm sure I've seen that somewhere."
Others were more concerned with Dr Katie wasting a pair of perfectly good scissors.
A user said: "Don't have to throw out the scissors, just pop them in the dishwasher."
"Scissor comment lol," a second wrote.
A final resolved: "Just wash the scissors."
A spokesperson from Sophie La Girafe told Tyla: "Sophie la girafe teethers are manufactured by Vulli and are still produced traditionally in France using processes involving 14 manual operations and has always complied with the most stringent regulations.
"Since her birth in 1961, Sophie la girafe has wowed over 50 million babies (and parents) worldwide with her natural beauty and charm, and her retro style has ensured that she has remained a must have baby toy.
"The safety of children and satisfaction of their parents is our main priority, and all of our products are continuously tested and in compliance with global standards.
"Sophie la girafe is made of 100 percent natural rubber, so the usage and cleaning instructions must be carefully respected. As indicated on the packaging, we recommend cleaning the surface with a damp cloth. It should not be immersed in the water nor rinsed off as she may become damaged."
Poppy Bilderbeck