Hidden Bacteria In Your Child's Toys

Find out more about the germs that lurk in your child’s toys and how to keep them clean.

Does your little one love nothing more than playing with their toys in the bathtub, or do you come home from work to see coloring books and children's toysplaythings scattered around the living room? You want your children to be able to have fun, but you also want to make sure that the things they are playing with aren’t covered in germs. Whether your child can’t get enough of their building blocks or their Barbies, follow these rules to effectively clean toys and prevent bacteria from spreading to your child.

Promote hand washing

One of the most important ways to keep germs at bay is to wash hands frequently and thoroughly. This means running hands under warm water with soap and scrubbing hands for at least 20 seconds. Want to make it a more fun activity for your child while still keeping them germ­-free? Tell them to sing the Happy Birthday song twice to know how long they should wash their hands.

Clean surfaces

This means taking a disinfecting cloth and wiping down all toys, play areas and surfaces. This also includes cleaning any toy chests or cabinets that your child touches regularly. Using a disinfecting wipe on play surfaces will ensure that you kill the germs on contact.

Opt for a HEPA filter

One of the best ways to help remove dust, pollen and germs from the air is with the help of an air filter, which removes about 99.7 percent of bacteria, dander and other common allergens from household air.

Toss toys in the wash

If your child enjoys playing with their stuffed animals, then chances are these well-­loved items have been dragged just about everywhere, which means they are pretty germy. Stuffed animals should be tossed in the washing machine each week. This is an especially important task to perform each week during cold and flu season. Even though you can’t toss plastic toys in the washing machine you can still wash them in soapy water or use disinfecting cloths on board games and other items to remove bacteria.

Limit group play during flu season

While this might sound harsh at first, it doesn’t need to be. Sure, your little one can enjoy group activities here and there, but try and keep those activities to a minimum during months when cold and flu season are running rampant. When your child does get involved in group play dates during these months, be extra diligent to clean all toys and play areas both before and after playtime.

If you have any additional questions about how to properly disinfect your child’s toys, give us a call. We would be happy to discuss other ways you can keep your child safe, especially during cold and flu season.

Questions or Comments?

At Harvest Pediatrics, we encourage you to contact us whenever you have a concern or question related to your care.
You can reach us at:


Napa: (707) 252-1076
St. Helena: (707) 963-0171

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Closed daily between 12:00 PM and 1:30 PM for lunch.

Napa Office

Monday:

8:30 am-6:00 pm

Tuesday:

8:30 am-6:00 pm

Wednesday:

8:30 am-6:00 pm

Thursday:

8:30 am-5:00 pm

Friday:

8:30 am-5:00 pm

Saturday:

Closed

Sunday:

Closed

St. Helena Office

Monday:

8:30 am-5:00 pm

Tuesday:

8:30 am-5:00 pm

Wednesday:

8:30 am-5:00 pm

Thursday:

8:30 am-5:00 pm

Friday:

8:30 am-5:00 pm

Saturday:

Closed

Sunday:

Closed