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Parents Discover Mold Inside Popular Teething Toy

Many parents are cutting into Sophie the Giraffe to see if there’s mold inside.

NBC Connecticut found online reports of mold inside the teething toy dating back to 2011. Now a new article posted on Good Housekeeping’s website is getting worldwide attention and prompting a response from Sophie’s maker.

After seeing the reports, Madison Allen of Ontario, Canada, wanted to know what was inside her son’s toy and shared the results in a video on Facebook.

In the video, Allen can be heard saying she’s “horrified” by the mold growing inside the toy giraffe.

The problem appears to be the small air hole in the toy, which can allow water or saliva to get inside.

Vulli, the French company that makes Sophie, released a statement in response to the mold concerns.

“First of all, it’s important to know that Sophie la girafe is composed of 100 percent natural rubber, so the cleaning instructions have to be carefully respected. As indicated on the packaging and in an explanatory leaflet inside the packaging, we recommend to clean the surface of Sophie la girafe with a damp cloth. It should not be immersed in the water nor rinsed off, to prevent water from getting inside, as she may become damaged. We thus would like to emphasize on the fact that is it important, while cleaning the product, that no water gets inside the (sic) whole.”

The mold issue is not unique to Sophie.

In May 2016, Mayborn USA recalled 3.1 million Tommee Tippee Sippee spill-proof cups because mold can grow inside the removable valve.

Pediatricians said it is a pretty common problem with any product that can trap water. They also said it’s not something to be overly concerned about unless your child has an immune disorder or a mold allergy.

Experts recommend replacing things like sippy cups and bath toys every couple of months to reduce any potential exposure to mold.

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