Father shares video of bath toy squirting mould to spread important message

'Throw out your bath toys!'

Bath toys have come a long way since rubber ducks.

Today’s children can enjoy a myriad of floating friends at bath time, from woodland creatures to pocket-sized pirates complete with squirting fire cannons.

However, with creativity comes great responsibility and as one YouTube video demonstrates, modern day bath toys could pose a threat to your child’s health.

Father Jack Toepfer posted a clip titled “Throw out your bath toys!” which showed a small pirate toy squirting out black pieces of mould into the sink after his child had already bathed with the toy.

He warned that children’s bath toys retain water when they aren’t cleaned and dried properly, allowing mould to build up inside them.

“Any toys that hold water, that squirt water, or otherwise do not dry completely in an hour or so - throw them out,” he wrote in the video’s caption.

“Your kids chew on these, drink out of them, and otherwise trust that they are clean because they are in a soapy bath, after all.

“All of this mould came out of this toy AFTER some had already squirted out in the bath, again onto a bath towel, and then what you see here. If I cut it open I'm sure I would find more.”

While undoubtedly disgusting, mould in your child’s bath might not be as harmful as one might think.

Speaking to Care.com, Dr Lyuba Konopasek, a pediatrics professor in New York, explained that the likelihood of a child getting sick from ingesting mould from a bath toy is “close to zero”, unless they have a pre-existing immunity problem.

However, according to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, there are some children who may be particularly sensitive to certain moulds and could subsequently develop asthma as a result of regular exposure.

While this doesn’t mean that your child’s bath has to be entirely sparse, it may be wise to give any existing bath toys a deep clean.

According to Livestrong.com, it's best to leave bath toys to soak in a basin with hot water and white vinegar for 10 to 15 minutes after they've been used.

Aim for twice as much hot water as vinegar and once they've had a good soak, rinse with regular water and let them air dry.

Use a toothbrush to scrub off any additional mould or mildew that may remain afterwards.

When looking to invest in new toys, you might be better off choosing ones without holes so they are less likely to retain water and become mouldy cesspits.