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Children's health

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Original poster

My 4year old drank through a mouldy straw

13 replies

EezyOozy · 21/12/2021 18:05

Help please !

I am absolutely mortified. We have some reusable silicon straws that are quite opaque and although I clean them after each use I must have missed something.

this evening my four-year-old was having a treat of some fruit juice with her tea, there was a light behind her and it kind of illuminated the straw, and it looked a bit dark / patchy in one area. I cut the straw open and it was completely choked with black powdery mould inside, on a bendy bit.

I'm quite anxious and risk/avoidant parent and I'm so worried that she's going to be really ill. I'm also so devastated that I let her drink through this straw.

I've just thrown them all away.

does anybody know a lot about mould? It is quite a Wavy/bendy straw. I think my husband might have let my 2yo drink some very runny yoghurt through it and perhaps it washed properly. It was then put in a drawer possibly for several weeks and then my four-year-old has just drank juice through it!

I've just looked on Google and apparently the sort of mould the lives on yoghurt isn't generally toxic.

Should I be doing anything? Is she likely to get ill and if so how long is that likely to take? She had the juice at around five pm.

Thank you!

OP posts:

Are your children’s vaccines up to date?

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RebeccaNoodles · 21/12/2021 18:08

Honestly? This kind of thing was a regular occurrence in my 1980s childhood. We all survived, no allergies and are rarely ill. So I think it was good for us. It should be good for her immune system!

unluckyinlife · 21/12/2021 18:08

I think just keep an eye on her. I think she'll likely be fine but may have an upset tummy at most.

Stuff like this happens sometimes, please don't feel guilty. x

Original poster

EezyOozy · 21/12/2021 18:09

Thanks. Im sleep deprived and I've got myself really upset! I'm an anxious person at the best of times. It wasn't just a wee bit of mould it was loaded with it 😢

OP posts:

rurallibralady87 · 21/12/2021 18:12

She will be absolutely fine. It was minimal, it’s not as if she is constantly breathing in spores from damp walls.

WaltzingToWalsingham · 21/12/2021 18:12

It sounds gross, but I suspect most children are inadvertently exposed to mould. I once dug the spout off DD's sippy cup and was horrified at the black slimy mould that lurked in the recesses. The same with her squeezy bath toys that she used to chew on - when cut open, they were also full of black mould! Revolting (and I thrw them all away after this discovery) but she didn't seem to suffer any ill effects. Some reusable straws come with narrow straw brushes, so perhaps Father Christmas could pop a set in her stocking on Friday.

icelolly12 · 21/12/2021 18:13

Stomach acids will destroy it, that's what I'd tell myself anyway...

Original poster

EezyOozy · 21/12/2021 18:14

Thank you. I know i probably sound mad /ridiculous .

OP posts:

StolenMadonna · 21/12/2021 18:18

It's not ridiculous to not want your child to drink mould!

But, she'll probably be absolutely fine and these things happen. So try not to worry. She's probably put far worse in her mouth that you just haven't seen. But don't worry about that either!!

Kinko · 22/12/2021 03:21

As what everyone else has said but also - if you're someone who likes to take practical action to help ease their anxiety.

Fish out the offending straw from the bin and bag it in a sealable bag - that way if she did get poorly a doctor could take a swab and send it to a lab

Keep an eye on:
tummy issues (obvs)
rashes
a fever/temperature

It'll be fine though! You're there, you're with her, you're able to keep an eye on her and if she were to become poorly you'd be ahead of the game knowing why - which means a faster outcome e.g if she had diarrhoea tomorrow you'd know why and would call your GP immediately who would know what action to take. Rather than you not knowing why, waiting to see if it was one of those things, it getting worse, taking her a GP who could make a misdiagnosis and so on.

You spotted it, you're a great Mum, because of that she'll be fine even if it made her poorly.

Original poster

EezyOozy · 22/12/2021 10:05

She has a temp this morning but seems otherwise fine

OP posts:

Original poster

EezyOozy · 22/12/2021 10:06

Thanks so much @Kinko that's what I needed to hear. I'll go and get the straw out the bin

OP posts:

Poorenough · 22/12/2021 10:12

Dd once drank milk mold because dp didn't realise you had to pop the top off the munchkin cups when you clean them. She had a couple of runny poos but was completely fine.

Rhioplepog · 22/12/2021 10:45

My 13 month old ate a piece of mouldy crumpet which must have been left in the high chair by accident when we went on holiday (I mean it had been there for 7 days and was black 🤢) I saw him eating it when he had already taken a bite and swallowed some. I was mortified. He seemed to want to keep eating it?!?

I was so worried and thought he would be really ill. He was totally fine.

I’m now paranoid about cleaning lol

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