Bath toys are a ton fun for kids and a HUGE headache for moms! I'm sure you've seen it – the disgusting mold that begins to accumulate almost immediately after use. I never even knew that the mold issue existed, that is, until Elena's adorable rubber duckie started spitting black! Not pretty. There are several ways to try to minimize the mold (squeeze out all excess water after each use, store them in an elevated place where they can fully dry, keep them away from the shower when not in use, etc.), but mold always seems to find its way into these little creatures! Then, you have to spend hours cleaning them; dunking them in diluted beach solution (which I'm not fully comfortable with), and then squeezing them till you can't squeeze no more! Who has that kind of time? I got into the habit of trashing the hard-to-clean bath toys – not the best solution, I know! But really, I needed a simple fix!
I've read articles that suggest hot gluing the hole so that moisture (hence mold) cannot get in, but what's the point of that? The kids love squirting the bath toys! And besides, it would no longer be a bath toy, just a toy. Right? Also, wouldn't the hot glue compromise the rubber in some way? I haven't tried it, but it doesn't seem very practical. I began searching around for alternative (or more innovative) bath toys and found some with larger holes. The holes aren't large enough to clean inside them, but it does allow me to squeeze out excess water much quicker and easier than a normal bath toy. I was a step closer to solving my bath toy conundrum, but not quite.
In my hunt for the perfect bath toy I found the Stay-Clean Silly Squirts by Sassy.
They are great! They look and feel like normal bath toys, but they open! You "unscrew" them to clean inside! You can even place them on the top rack of the dishwasher! Plus, the kids like to mix and match, making bath time even more enjoyable! Ahhh! Sigh of relief! Now I can focus on tackling something else from my huge to-do list!
One last note: I still haven't completely given up hope on some of the kids' favorite bath toys. Have you found any better or easier ways to clean them?
