Mom Opens Baby’s Sophie the Giraffe Toy and Finds Mold

Yikes! A popular chewable baby toy called Sophie the Giraffe has been found to have mold inside, and parents of babies everywhere are (understandably!) freaking out.

Mom Dana Chianese is a pediatric dentist who recommends teething toys like Sophie–an adorable pastel-colored giraffe–to parents every day. But a month ago, she discovered a musty smell coming from her son’s version of the toy.

“I decided to cut into Sophie out of curiosity and discovered a science experiment living inside,” said Chianese, who claims she cleaned the toy according to the directions on the package it came in–namely, using hot soapy water and never submerging it completely underwater. “Smelly, ugly mold living in my infant’s favorite chew toy!”

Naturally, Chianese is upset.

“It still hurts my heart to know that for months I allowed my babies to chew on moldy toys. I no longer buy any chew toys with a hole or recommend any to my patients,” she told Cosmopolitan.com.

As Chianese shared her findings, other parents began investigating their own Sophie toys and discovered mold as well. Pictures of the gross findings inside the cut-open toys have been flooding the internet ever since.

“Beware!! If you have a drooly baby, moisture will get in the hole and you’ll end up with mold. We’ve had ours for two years and the entire inside is coated with black mold,” wrote one mom on Amazon, where the toy retails for about $23.

Some good news: Children usually are not harmed by exposure to mold in toys, unless they have an immune disorder, reports the site Womanista.com.

The site reminds parents to clean and disinfect the toy at least once a week and never let it sit in water or leave water trapped in it.

So far Vulli, the company that makes Sophie, has yet to comment about the disturbing news.

via Womanista.com

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