First it was the Tommee Tippee Sippee cups; now this. Sophie the Giraffe toys everywhere are being cut into and mold is being found inside.
The alarm was sounded by a pediatric dentist, Dana Chianese. Chianese, who has been a staunch advocate of teething toys to her patients parents, decided last month to clean her sons' favourite teething toy, Sophie the Giraffe. That was when she noticed that the air coming out of the hole smelled musty.
Curious, she cut into the toy, and discovered that the inside was coated in mold.
Chianese insists she has always cleaned the toy according to the provided instructions - using a damp sponge and hot soapy water, never submerging the toy.
Others have been submitting photos of their Sophie the Giraffe toys as well. Amazon has many reviews, some with images, that are not for the faint of heart. One reviewers claiming that the mold is developed in as little as three months of use. A parent on another site, What to Expect, posted her pictures of moldy Sophie back in August.
A spokesperson for Vulli, the company that makes Sophie the Giraffe responded with the following statement to Goodhousekeeping.com:
First of all, it's important to know that Sophie la Girafe (Sophie the Giraffe) is composed of 100% natural rubber, so the cleaning instructions have to be carefully respected. As indicated on the packaging and in an explanatory leaflet inside the packaging, we recommend to clean the surface of Sophie la Girafe with a damp cloth. It should not be immersed in the water nor rinsed off, to prevent water from getting inside, as she may become damaged. We thus would like to emphasize on the fact that is it important, while cleaning the product, that no water gets inside the hole.
The spokesperson went on to say that for 55 years, the company has always strived to exceed and comply with stringent global standards, that the safety of children is the number one priority, and that they are taking the complaints very seriously.
But Laurie Schraenen, a Vulli spokeswoman, said that the quality department assessed the photos and said "It is not possible that saliva could cause the type of mold formation shown in the pictures. ... Internal studies have been conducted and indicated that it is improbable (or in really rare cases) that saliva can transform into mold," according to a statement provided by Schraenen to CNBC.
Whether it is from saliva or accidental moisture build-up, Sophie's natural rubber body and enclosed space provide a safe haven for the buildup of mold that cannot be cleaned out, no matter how closely one may follow the care instructions. Chianese no longer recommends that people use chew toys that have holes in them, and if you have a Sophie at home, you may want to find a solid teething ring to use instead.
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