The weather is changing, fall is coming, and cold and flu season is just around the corner. How can we keep our babies safe? What are the best ways to keep our little one’s toys clean?

With Covid-19 and cold and flu season, parents (including me) are nervous and worried about keeping our babies safe. Where do we start? Well, babies put toys in their mouths, a lot. Here are some tips on how to clean and disinfect your baby’s toys, how often they should be cleaned, and more.

How Often Should Baby Toys Be Cleaned?

Like I said earlier, babies put their toys in their mouths a lot which can lead to them getting germs and sicknesses. Baby toys should be cleaned and disinfected on a monthly basis, but if a monthly cleaning is not possible, spot cleaning is a great way of removing most germs and sicknesses. There are specific scenarios when it is important to clean and disinfect more often.

• When your child or their playmate has gotten sick.
• When a playmate has put your child’s toys in their mouth.
• When there is milk, food, vomit, or mucous on your baby’s toys.
• When a toy has fallen on a dirty surface.

 

How To Clean Baby Toys

Before jumping into cleaning your baby’s toys, what is the difference between clean and disinfect?

• “Cleaning physically removes germs by using soap (or detergent) and water to wash away surface dirt an grime.
• Disinfecting kills most germs on objects like baby toys, or stops germs from reproducing.”

How you clean and disinfect your baby’s toys depends on the toy and the material. Many times, toys can go into either the dishwasher or the washing machine to be cleaned and disinfected. Check your baby’s toys to ensure proper cleaning.

If your child’s toys cannot go into the dishwasher or washing machine, the best way to clean them is to soak them in a sink filled with warm/hot water and some distilled vinegar, or a gentle soap. Once the toys have soaked for about 10-15 minutes, place them in a different sink or tub and fill it with warm/hot water to be completely rinsed off. Afterwards, let the toys dry completely to avoid mold or mildew growing.

 

How To Disinfect Baby Toys

Once your baby’s toys are cleaned, use your favorite disinfectant to kill any existing germs and to stop them from reproducing.

A website https://momsagainstcooties.com/how-to-clean-and-disinfect-baby-toys/ uses a diluted solution of bleach and water as her disinfectant.

“Diluted bleach is a safe and inexpensive way to disinfect baby toys.

1. Clean non-absorbent toys with soapy water, rinse with clear water, and wipe dry with disposable paper towels.
2. Disinfect with a chlorine bleach solution of one tablespoon of bleach to one gallon of water.
3. Lay out toys to air dry.”

My favorite disinfectant to use is HONEST Disinfecting Spray.

“A powerful 3-in-1 antibacterial disinfecting spray that cleans, deodorizes and disinfects all in one step. We call it magic in a bottle. Honest’s disinfectant spray kills 99.9% of the germs* your fam comes in contact with daily, and effectively fights against the cold + flu viruses. Made without harsh chemicals and chlorine bleach.”

 

We love our babies and want them to be healthy. Taking just a little bit of time to clean/disinfect your baby’s toys is a great strategy in keeping your little one happy and healthy.