What should I use to disinfect 5mo's toys?

[Leedsmum2b]

This may be a silly question , but I'm not sure what product to use. Everything goes straight in my dd's mouth at the moment, so I need something, preferably in wipe form, that's gentle enough for her to lick but also counteracts the germs. The products I've seen at the supermarket tend to be either heavy-duty disinfectant for kitchen surfaces etc, or hand wipes with perfume. I even had a look at the Dettol website, but it rather unhelpfully contradicts itself about whether its products are suitable for toys or not.

Any advice much appreciated!

Give them a quick wash?

I used just hot water and a bit of bubble bath/hand soap. But not all that often . If that helps...

I just used to chuck them in the washing up bowl......

I wouldnt bother unless they get really minging then I would stick them in the dish washer or rinse in hot soapy water.

You disinfect them, put them on the floor and they are instantly covered in germs again-you could spend your whole day disinfecting stuff

Milton wipes are fab, they sell them in Asda for about £1.50. They sterilise the item but they are safe to use on a baby's dummy, if necessary. I still carry them in my bag everywhere with me, you can wipe high chairs when eating out etc.

So, a bit of fairy liquid? That's unexpectedly easy then! Thanks!

I just used to use hot soapy water if things needed washing (which they often did as my 2 frequently regurgitated vast quantities of milk!)

Sterilising solution for toys that can be soaked, Milton spray for those that can't. Milton may do wipes too - have a look in Boots or the supermarket in the bit with all the sterilising gumph. Or just a good wash in hot, soapy (ie. washing up liquid) water will take care of lots of nasties.

FWIW, I wouldn't worry too much about disinfecting, especially if it's just your DD using them. DS used to chew everything (still does actually, when do they grow out of that?!) and he's still here. I did sterilise all the bath toys the other day though when I noticed mould growing inside a duck

Ah, Milton do wipes - fab! I have some enormous Milton block things that you have to dissolve in about 5 litres of water, which seemed too much effort to go to, even in my unremitting quest for cleanliness .

It depends on how many kids you've got. The rules I've heard are:

First child: suckable items must be sterilized in Milton or steam after they've been dropped on the floor.

Second child: items must be wiped over with a clean damp cloth

Third child: give them to the dog to lick clean.

TBH I'd prefer my child to ingest the odd bit of dirt and germs than whatever is in anti-bacterial wipes.

Gimma- , yes it was abit like that...!

Thanks Grimma - it's probably quite obvious that this is my FB .

I'm afraid my pfb thought that the dog's toys were fantastic to chew on (great for teething aparently) so we didn't worry - just used washing up liquid if necessary

(Disclaimer - we did remove said dogs toys from him asap - I mean, it wasn't fair on the dog for one thing as she knew perfectly well that she wasn't allowed to chew his toys!)

Oh God, I must the worst Mummy on here. I don't think I have ever washed any toys... other than the ones ds1 poo'd on once.

melmog, I expect your DCs have fabulous immune systems.

You may be right Grimma. I did it on purpose of course, I'm not just lazy!

My hazy memory tells me the only germs they need protecting from are those connected to raw food (e-coli etc). Everything else the NEED exposure to.

..and the more anti-bac stuff we are conned into buying, the worse our children's immune systems will be....

My house is minging and dd is never sick When her plastic tat precious objects get grey with dust I rinse them under the tap.

I don't disinfect either. Once they're old enough to be grubbing about on the floor I consider it to be a normal part of growing up to encounter germs (different for a newborn, of course). Only things that have been vomitted on get a run through the washing machine. I am never going to open the waste pipe of our washing machine!