Parents are complaining about mold inside of "Sophie the Giraffe"
Disgusted parents are taking to social media to share what appears to be mold growing inside their children’s “Sophie the Giraffe” teething toy. A pediatric dentist who recommends teething toys, including Sophie the Giraffe, to patients, and gave the toy to her own children, told Goodhousekeeping.com that she was horrified to see what was inside the popular toy.
“I decided to cut into Sophie out of curiosity and discovered a science experiment living inside,” Dr. Dana Chianese told Goodhousekeeping.com. “Smelly, ugly mold living in my infant’s favorite chew toy.”
Chianese told the website she had followed the toy’s instructions to use hot, soapy water to clean the toy and never submerged it in water.
“It still hurts my heart to know that for months I allowed my babies to chew on moldy toys,” she told Goodhousekeeping.com. “I no longer buy any chew toys with a hole or recommend any to my patients.”
Vulli & Calisson Inc, the toy’s manufacturers, did not respond to Goodhousekeeping.com’s request for comment, but another parent said she had cut the legs off the toy to eliminate choking hazards and found the inside coated with black mold.
According to the company’s website, the toy is made with 100 percent rubber and food grade paint. The material is meant to be soft and bumpy to soothe sore gums, light and easy to grip for small hands, and squeaks when pressed to stimulate the baby’s hearing.