Cleaning toys

[Fleanne]

Firstly, apologies if this is a silly question, but I’m a bit confused...

How do you clean your babies toys? My DD puts everything in her mouth so I feel I need to clean them. The ones which are fully plastic and have no batteries get washed with soap and water, but how do I clean the ones with batteries? And soft toys? Can I use Dettol wipes? Or would this leave a residue which is unsafe for baby to put in her mouth?

Sorry for all the questions. I realise writing it down how clueless I am...

Soft toys can go in the washing machine. Gentle wash in a pillowcase, or just surface wash with soapy water.

Toys with batteries just surface wipe with soapy water too. No need to submerge them. Or give a once over with a baby wipe or wet cloth.

Mostly though, don't worry too much. All babies a germy mingers.

*are

I use dettol wipes or a cloth sprayed with antibac once in a blue moon

Thank you both for the suggestions!

Milton cleaning wipes and nuk spray (it’s a bit gentler than normal sprays) but I assume any spray is fine really

I wouldn't worry too much. Quick wipe with soapy water occasionally is fine. I've put megablocks in a mesh laundry bag in the dishwasher before when the kids weren't very well!

The nuk spray actually is great, I bought some on offer as it is expensive.

I’ll look into the Nuk spray - thank you.

Quick wipe with soapy water/cloth or a soak in the sink/bath for dirty things. Kids are disgusting though so I basically stopped doing that after a few months.

Cuddly toys I chuck in the washing machine, ones with batteries I just give a wipe over with a damp cloth. Or use a steam cleaner over all of them depending on how I’m feeling.

Honestly, don't waste your time. I never, ever, cleaned any toy, soft or otherwise. Once babies are crawling around on the floor, stroking animals, or at a soft play, or nursery or play group, they are coming into contact with every microbe going. It's good for them. Try not to worry.

DD is 13 months and I think I've systematically cleaned her toys maybe twice. Anything that gets mashed food on it or dropped on the ground outside gets a wash or a wipe as appropriate. Join me in the cry of our household: Building Immunity!

I'm not sure I've ever cleaned a toy unless it's been sicked on or dropped in the mud. I wouldn't both cleaning for the sake of cleaning, but if it's actually dirty (muddy, caked in food, sick, etc.), I would give it a wipe with hot soapy water and dry (for hard items that can't go in the wash). Soft toys can be washed in the washing machine. I wouldn't use any harsh cleaners like dettol (taste it first, if it tastes awful to you, it will to your baby too).

I meticulously cleaned every one of dc1s toys with Milton weekly until she was well over a year old (in my defence, she was very prem)
Dc5 is lucky if i wipe the food off with a baby wipe. Hasn't seemed to do her any harm as yet, and she's 3 now.

I've only ever cleaned toys if they are dirty I've never really bothered to clean them otherwise as I figured it was good for babies to build an immune system

Dishwasher or washing machine. If it doesn't survive, bin.

Interesting that most people don’t bother unless things get very dirty! I might adopt this approach (to build immunity, not because I’m lazy of course... )

When my first was really tiny I did it a lot more! But a few germs are required or that’s what I tell my lazy self