The makers of the popular Sophie The Giraffe toy have come under fire this week after a mother claimed to have found the toy infested with black mould.
Lara Worthington has joined a number of outraged parents hitting out online at the safety of the toy, which is used as a teething toy for babies and toddlers.
The 29-year-old mother-of-two shared a photo of the mould-covered toy on her Instagram account.
“Bath toys with holes in them are not safe,” she captioned the pic.
The issue with the toy was raised earlier in the week after mother and pediatric dentist Dana Chianese posted the photo of her child’s toy after making the discovery due to an odd smell coming from inside. The photo quickly went viral with Chianese urging other parents to check their own.
“I decided to cut into Sophie out of curiosity and discovered a science experiment living inside,” she told Good Housekeeping. “Smelly, ugly mould living in my infant’s favourite chew toy!”
“It still hurts my heart to know that for months I allowed my babies to chew on moldy toys,” she added. “I no longer buy any chew toys with a hole or recommend any to my patients.”
The company who manufactures the toy have issued a reminder to parents to follow the product’s cleaning instructions and never submerge the toy in water.
