How to treat toys for newborns. We disinfect and wash children's toys according to the rules. Proper handling of toys for children under one year old

Children love toys and, of course, they are not aware that toys may contain dirt and harmful germs. It is the parents' responsibility to take care of cleanliness. If not done properly, your child may get sick. Below we will describe a method that is harmless to the environment and children. disinfection of toys.

Steps to disinfect toys

1. Be sure to wipe down toys that have fallen on the floor or had direct contact with any dirt or dust with special baby wipes.
2. Disinfect any hard, plastic children's toys, especially those that the child immediately puts into his mouth, by completely immersing such toys in boiling water. These can be special teething toys, pacifiers and pacifiers.
   
   
   1. Boil a pan of water and after it boils, lower all toys of this kind into it for 10 minutes.
   2. After 10 minutes, remove the toys from the pan and allow them to cool before returning them to your child. Be sure to check the toys after boiling to be sure that they have not been damaged and do not pose a threat to your child's health.
   3. Toys that cannot be boiled should be washed under very hot water using dishwashing detergent. After rinsing, make sure that all the product has been rinsed away.
3. Use a damp sponge on plastic and wooden toys that have food on them.
   
   
4. Use a solution of distilled white vinegar and water to clean children's toys.
   
   
   1. Mix equal parts vinegar and water in a spray bottle. Spray the spray on children's toys and leave them for 15 minutes, then remove the solution from the toys.
5. Mix your own natural cleaner with warm water and baking soda. Take 1 liter of water to 4 tablespoons of soda. Use a clean towel to dry the toy with the mixture.
   
6. Soft toys can be washed in the washing machine if this is allowed in the instructions, which are usually located on the label. After washing, let the toys dry.
   
7. Also, hard plastic toys can be washed in the dishwasher at high temperature. Place toys on the top rack of the dishwasher and set it to the hottest sink. After washing, be sure to dry the toys.
   
   
8. Be sure to drain all liquid from bath toys. Any remaining water can start to turn into mold or something else terrible.
   

Tips for disinfecting toys

• When cleaning toys, always use a new sponge or a sponge specifically designed for disinfection of children's toys. Sponges used for cleaning in the kitchen may contain dangerous chemicals, so it is better not to use them.
• Be sure to think about your child while washing. Load up the toys in batches so he has something to play with while the others are washed and dried.
• Use only the best cleaning products, preferably only natural ones.

Warning when disinfecting children's toys

• Do not boil rubber toys, as this may damage them.
• Do not use strong cleaning agents. Even if the packaging says that they are safe, a child is still more susceptible than an adult, so it is better to use more gentle products.

What do you think about this? What else can you add to the above?

After the influx of new toys over Christmas and New Year, now is the perfect time to sort through your child's toy collection and wash and decorate old favorites.

Every treasured and beloved toy needs a good wash from time to time.

Stuffed Toys .
Once you've convinced your child to wash the plush toy, read the label to see if it can be washed in the washing machine.

If the toy has been much loved, check to see if it needs repairs first. You don't want the ear to get lost in the wash, and a few quick stitches can prevent any distress for your baby. Place the toy in an old pillowcase or mesh laundry bag, like a delicates laundry bag, to protect it.

When washing, choose a delicate cycle and minimum temperature. Washing on warm will not get rid of germs, so add a laundry sanitizer such as Dettol Anti-Bacterial Laundry Cleanser for a more hygienic clean.

Alternatively, hand wash in warm water with a small amount of detergent and rinse aid. To absorb, soak in the laundry detergent solution for 15 minutes. After washing, rinse the toy in plenty of water. Squeeze out as much moisture as you can without twisting, then place between two clean towels and squeeze well.

To dry the toy, hang it on a line to dry using clothespins or leave it to dry in a ventilated cabinet. It is extremely important to make sure it is completely dry.

Plastic toys.

Plastic teething toys can temporarily relieve gum pain and itching. But since they come into frequent contact with little hands and mouths, and are also often dropped on the floor between frantic chewing bouts, they need to be cleaned frequently. To do this, wash them in warm water and then place them in Milton Sterilizing Fluid for 15 minutes to disinfect.

Bath toys.
Bath toys can be a mold magnet. Wash them regularly in a solution of warm water and washing-up liquid, using a bottle brush to get into all the nooks and crannies. Rinse, then let dry naturally. After a bath, squeeze out the soft ones until all the water flows out and leave to dry completely.

Mold can quickly grow in rubber bath toys. If you see black flakes with water coming out of the hole when you squeeze them, then it's time to replace them. Even with a thorough cleaning, you cannot be sure that all traces of mold will be removed.

Lego.
You may have heard the myth about cleaning used Lego bricks in the washing machine, but the toy maker doesn't recommend it. Instead, wash Lego - and its little brother, Duplo - by hand in warm water (not exceeding 40°C) with detergent added. Let the bricks soak and soak for 10 minutes and scrub any dirty parts with a toothbrush or pull dirt out of the crevices with a toothpick. Rinse with clean water and dry naturally.

Obviously, Lego pieces with stickers or electrical parts should not be submerged in water. Simply wipe them with a damp microfiber cloth. This is a good way to clean wooden toys or any plastic toys that cannot be submerged in water.
If you're tempted to buy Lego online or second-hand, beware. Scientists from the University of Plymouth have warned that Lego pieces made between the 1970s and 1980s may contain hazardous chemicals that could be harmful to health.

Toy storage.
There comes a time in the life of every toy when it gets played less. If you can't bear to part with your children's old favorites, you may want to consider moving them to the mezzanine or attic. To ensure that the clean fabrics on the toy do not become dusty and are not attacked by moths and dust mites, you should choose an airtight plastic container for packaging to store each toy separately.

To make it easier to find later, it is recommended that you mark each box so that you can find everything you need again. One option is to take a photo of the contents, then print the image and stick it on the inside of a clear plastic box with the picture facing out, or write an inventory and stick it on the box and put it inside. Toys may be needed if you have another child. When packing, you need to group the toys together so that your child will enjoy them at a certain age and label the box with this information.

From birth, the baby must develop; various toys for babies will help with this. Let's highlight the most popular toys for newborns:

• music mobile;
• developmental mat;
• rattles

Music mobiles

A bright carousel can be used from the first days of a newborn’s life. Usually it is attached to the head of the child's crib so that he can observe the movement of the toys. The mobile helps develop the baby's auditory and visual perception. The child learns to concentrate his gaze, trying to focus on moving objects. By three to four months of age, he will begin to reach for toys, he will want to grab them and take them in his hands.

Most mobiles have removable toys, so you can play with them separately. For many children, a mobile phone helps them calm down and fall asleep, thanks to the functions of playing melodies and the projector. The more functions, the longer the child will be captivated, and the mother will be able to take time for herself or calmly drink tea.

Educational mats

Play mats are recommended to be used almost from birth. The most popular and practical are rugs with arcs. The surface of the rug is bright, with many educational elements, and toys are suspended on the arcs. It is useful to place a newborn on the mat for a short time so that he follows the toys and learns to concentrate his eyes. Place your baby on his tummy so he can learn to hold his head and avoid suffering from colic.

The most interesting games on the mat will begin at three to four months, when the child wants to roll over and grab toys. On the surface of the rug there are many rustling sounds, squeaks and interesting patterns that will attract him. By touching the multi-textured surface of the rug, the baby will develop tactile sensations. Playing on the mat, he will learn to roll over faster, because there are so many interesting things around.

Rattles for babies

You need to use rattles from the first days of a child’s life, but first you will need the help of parents. The baby needs to be shown a rattle so that he learns to concentrate his eyes, learns to follow the movement of the toy, and reacts to sound. At the age of three to four months, you can give a rattle to the child’s hands - let him practice, try to hold it. By holding a rattle and swinging it, the baby will learn to control his arms and coordinate movements.

This is the optimal set of toys for a newborn baby. They will help him develop quickly and learn about the world around him.

How to choose toys for a baby?

Toys for little ones should be of high quality and safe. You should not buy toys from dubious retail outlets, as there is always a flow of toys from underground factories. The simplest and most reliable choice would be toys from well-known manufacturers that have proven themselves well in the Russian market. Many parents are familiar with such companies as Tiny Love, Fisher Price, Chicco, Taf Toys. Several generations of children have grown up on toys from these manufacturers. Also, educational toys from world brands meet all the necessary criteria:

1. quality;
2. bright, attracting the baby's attention;
3. safe for children, with rounded shapes;
4. developmental, developed by the best specialists.

How to wash and treat toys for newborns

Over time, all toys become dirty and need to be washed. It is recommended to wash rattles and simple plastic toys in warm water with baby soap or a special product. Be sure to rinse well and rinse with boiled water. For rugs and music mobiles, use a damp cloth to wipe away dust. If your mobile has soft, removable toys, remove them for washing. Some rugs are machine washable. Such information is always indicated on the packaging of the toy.

Cleanliness is the key to children's health. This is precisely the statement that district pediatricians repeat to all mothers without exception. In principle, mothers themselves know this, but sometimes there is not enough free time for this cleanliness. So, why am I saying this? Besides, I want to tell you clearly about how to disinfect toys without much difficulty.

Any toys become dirty over time, even if you can’t see it, but believe me, a lot of different bacteria accumulate on their surface. According to the rules, it is recommended to disinfect toys weekly at home and daily in kindergarten.

We carry out global sorting

To be honest, the weekly disinfection of our toys caused me a quiet shock, since we have so many of them that I won’t have enough time to process them in a year. In this regard, I decided to sort the toys into certain groups, and only then wash them sequentially. I’ll warn you right away: the sorting was done only on paper for the purpose that when it comes to washing the toys, I’ll just take a sheet with the list and take only a certain group of toys to the bath. With this approach, I managed not to leave a single toy unattended.

I got 10 groups:

1. Mosaics, Legos, small construction sets, Kinder surprise toys and all other small things.

2. Battery-powered games and toys.

3. Plastic construction sets.

4. Play sets: first aid kit, children's play utensils, hairdresser, etc.

5. Children's railway and auto track.

6. Soft toys, doll clothes.

7. Wooden puzzles and electronic games.

8. Machines made of plastic and rubber.

9. Dolls and baby dolls.

10. Rubber and plastic toys: animals, guns, balls, etc.

What and how to disinfect?

After thinking a little more about the mountains of toys and evaluating all 10 groups, I logically assumed that soft toys and doll clothes would be torn apart by the washing machine. I know that many people are surprised by this approach to soft toys, because there are also singing toys.

I remember this and already know in practice that washing in a washing machine will harm more than one mechanism in a soft toy. Tested by practice and confirmed by the assurances of one electronics engineer I know. There is only one caveat: after the soft voice toy is washed in the machine, during the drying process it can talk and sing on its own. After it dries everything will be as before.

If everything was simple with my children’s soft pets, then with the rest of the toys I had to tinker. I disinfect all electronic toys, wooden puzzles, electronic games and cars with alcohol, since such toys cannot be washed under running water. I buy a bottle of vodka at the store (alcohol is sold in pharmacies only by prescription), after which I soak a cotton swab in it and wipe the toy. I recommend doing this in selected groups. For example, this week you disinfect the seventh group, and next week - the second.

All other toys can, in principle, be washed, but again you should pay attention to the components of the toys. So I soak the entire first group from my list in a basin with laundry soap dissolved in it. After an hour, I wash everything under running water and put it on a diaper to dry.

I note that you need to wash it very thoroughly, otherwise a white residue will remain on the toys. This group is undergoing such massive disinfection, since it is not possible to wash every little thing.

Plastic cars and rubber toys can be washed under the tap with baby or laundry soap, and also laid out on a diaper or sheet to dry. I understand that you will still have to tinker with each car and toy, but if you do this in groups every week, then it will not be so burdensome for you and after 2 months all the toys will be washed.

At first I wrote that toys should be disinfected weekly, but I repeat once again in modern conditions this is impossible. But who knows, maybe there are mothers who can do this. But I'm giving up on this one.

Please note that you need to dry the toys until they are completely dry, since if there is water left in any nook or corner of the toy, the toy may become rotten. You probably put all the toys at once into special containers and baskets, and there the access of oxygen is limited, which is why there is nowhere for moisture to evaporate and the toy will begin to smell bad.

Don't forget to keep the container or basket clean

Also, do not forget about the cleanliness of baskets, boxes and containers for toys. While you are disinfecting toys, take a regular disinfectant and dilute it as directed on the bottle (to disinfect various surfaces) and treat the drawers and play containers with the resulting solution, but only then let them dry thoroughly. In principle, such treatment is not harmful for the child, but if there is any reaction to chlorine, then it is better to simply wash everything with baby or laundry soap.

Personally, I carry out such a large-scale disinfection of toys every six months. The children are happy, and I, like a well-fed boa constrictor, look at my children playing with washed toys. I have been using all the methods described for quite a long time and am very pleased, maybe someone has other approaches, so you need to focus only on your child.

No adult would think of getting toys dirty like a two-year-old toddler does. Porridge, sand, liquid mud from a puddle, traces of a ballpoint pen - you can’t find anything on them!

Rinsing a bear in the toilet, pouring cherry compote on it, and then putting it all in your mouth is a completely common occurrence among children.

The struggle for the cleanliness of children's toys is an eternal concern of tortured mothers - in addition to the cleanliness of the room, it is also necessary to maintain the cleanliness of children's treasures.

Because bacteria do not sleep, bacteria are right there.

The plush toys that filled our apartment with the arrival of a small child (my husband and I didn’t buy a single one!) – those creepy dust collectors and dirt collectors – Where can I find the time to wash each one at least once a month?

What about bath toys? If you don’t wash them for a week, they become slimy, mold starts growing inside and they become covered with a nasty coating.

I remember that at first I scrubbed them by hand, armed with fairies, washing powder, Domestos, alcohol, rags, abrasive sponges, and a syringe. I soaked it in a bucket of chemicals, then washed it for a long time and painfully. It took a hell of a lot of time to do this. And a week later the procedure had to be repeated.

This did not suit me - it took too long and was ineffective.

HOW I NOW FIGHT FOR THE CLEANITY OF TOYS:

1. Everything is soft and plush– Naturally, I wash it in an automatic washing machine.

The presence of batteries and other electrical parts does not bother me - if the design of the plush miracle does not provide for painless removal of water-resistant parts, I do not regret it and rip it apart. I take out the squeaky talker and put the toy in the washing machine.

I value my time and the cleanliness of play objects more than their perfect appearance.

2. Plastic dolls, inflatable balls (due to static electricity, dust sticks to them!)– they pour themselves into the bath in bulk and wash themselves indiscriminately with the shower. If I need to scrub something dry (I fed Lala porridge three days ago), then after 10 minutes of soaking I arm myself with a sponge with fairy and rub. Then I quickly rinse it in the shower and let it drain and dry.

3. Bath toys, durable plastic toys (such as Lego)– after some hesitation, I installed them in the dishwasher on the most powerful program.

My fears that the paint would peel off the octopuses’ faces turned out to be unfounded - apparently, toys made for playing in water require some margin of safety.

This gave me several hours of free time a month!

In general, I realized that I would mercilessly get rid of low-quality toys that cannot withstand machine washing or dishwashing in favor of hygiene and my free time.

By the way, my husband watched with irony my first experience of loading bath toys into the dishwasher - he said that this would not help, it would not wash anything.

I continued to silently and feverishly throw one boat after another at the car, put the mother octopus, added children's dishes, a Lego man who fell under the hot hand also flew into processing, a red boat with a white coating from our tap water that disgusted me (it was not washed with anything), a crab, a starfish, a green island, on which clearly showed that the tap water was also rusty - I didn’t spare anything.

After several washes in the dishwasher the white limescale deposit from the boat disappeared without a trace, and even from those places where it was physically impossible to crawl with a sponge.

The brownish-red shadows on the green island were washed off after the first wash.

Glory to the creators of washing machines and dishwashers!