My child's life is not complete without a squirty bathtub toy!

[weezix]

Bath time in our house is a fun occasion. We have some of those cups that stack with different sorts of holes in them, a few random McDonald's toys that aren't good for anything else and a bunch of squirty toys...you know, the ones you squeeze under water and then squeeze again to shoot water to the other unsuspecting siblings in the tub.

The other day the kids squirted the toys and some icky flakyness shot out of it. Every once in a while I fill the bathtub with bleach water and swish the toys around to get all the ickies off but you can't exactly clean the inside of a squishy toy.

Are there any fun alternatives? Or a way to clean these things? Or do you think perhaps it's the brand of toys that I bought?

[crunchy_mommy]

There was a Today show segment I watched online recently that discussed this -- it will make you not want to touch another bath toy again lol. Google it.

Basically toys with holes in them (like the ones that squirt) harbor lots of bacteria & build up inside & the moisture promotes the build up. You can try squirting out all the excess water after each bath & storing the toys where they'll be able to dry completely. You can also fill with & soak them in rubbing alcohol periodically. I am slowing throwing out our squirty toys as they start getting gross, & I don't plan to get anymore. Unenclosed toys (like the cups with holes) or toys without holes (like a solid rubber ducky) just won't get as gross.

[fuzzycat]

Ewww. We have the same problem. The insides never seem to completely dry and it looks like it's getting slimey mold inside. I agree with the pp. Suck up some alcohol and give it a good shake and squirt is back out again and let it dry.
FC

[vrclay]

I HATE squirty bath toys for this very reason. We have resorted to using the medicine syringes that are left over from infant motrin. My 3 YO is happy enough with them. We also have 3 size funnels that are fun bath toys too.

[JudiAU]

That they get gross even if you clean them. Throw them away and replace them. But we slowly phased them out because I hate disposable toys.

We had nice Haba ones but that just means they are better quality plastic. They still trap the nasties.

[Amatullah0]

I saw a toy like this, the kind that squirts, with a removable stopper, so you can clean the inside. Don't remember where I saw them though! Amazon maybe?

ETA: an alternative could be a turkey baster maybe?

[T-man's Mama]

What about an empty ketchup bottle or something else that's reusable (and later, recyclable)?

[weezix]

Originally Posted by T-man's Mama

What about an empty ketchup bottle or something else that's reusable (and later, recyclable)?

my concern with those is the amount of water they HOLD which is equal to the amount of water that is going on the floor! lol

i'll have to come up with something cuz it's too yucky for me and i know the kids will be really upset if i throw them away without something cool to replace them with.

we tried foam letters to stick to the tub which was lots of fun but they eat them. grrrr.

[crunchy_mommy]

Hmm well there are fishing toys, that could be new & fun, or those little capsules that dissolve & turn into different shaped sponges. Or bath crayons?

[Baby_Cakes]

Luckily these sorts of toys are pretty cheap. Every few weeks or so we just toss the old ones and give her one or two new ones. Make sure you squirt out all the water after bath, and keep a few extras for rotation!