Should I wash my sons [new] Teddy Bears?

Question

My son is 3 months old and I boil his bottles, pacifiers, teethers [and anything else he puts in his mouth!]
but my husband just got him a Winnie the Pooh teddy bear [that plays music] and it says "Surface Washable ONLY" which means I cannot put it in the washing machine [because it will ruin the music box]! Should I wipe it down with a warm towel or something before I give it to him? [because I know the second I hand it to him -- it's going IN his mouth!]

The Teddy Bear is brand new [right from the Toys R Us shelf] .. so, I should definitely clean it, but is "wiping it down" going to be enough???

[and what about his other stuffed animals that ARE machine washable -- should I wash all of them before I give them to him to play with??]

Thanks :]

Answer 1

Geesh...kids put EVERYTHING in their mouths... it is part of building a strong immune system. I wouldn't worry about cleaning brand new toys...

Answer 2

I never wash new clothes, I do not boil new bottles I do not boil them after each use. My daughter is 7 months old and has never been sick. I do wash used clothes and toys, however. I wouldn't worry about it. Kids need to come in contact with some germs...otherwise their immune system won't get built up and later, they'll get sick easier.

Besides, a warm wash cloth is not going to kill germs. You could always spray it with lysol and let it sit a day or so. Think about it, how HOT is the washcloth? You are touching it, right? By the time you begin wiping, the wash cloth is cooling down? How in the world will it kill all the germs on the teddy bear? THere is just no way. I think it's a lost cause.

Answer 3

Wipe it down with a rag that has Clorox Everywhere on it, this should be perfectly safe. Then wipe it off again with just a hot wet rag. Let it dry and then it should be just fine. We always wipe down the toys in the church nursery with clorox wipes, then again with just water. Oh and another thing, is there an opening in the back to replace the batteries? If so you might be able to remove the sound piece and throw the bear in the washer, I would recommend freezing it though, I'd be afraid it would damage the sound.

Answer 4

Wiping the Winnie the Pooh toy down with a warm wet sponge or the like should be fine-remember your son needs to be in contact with 'some' germs etc to build his immunity.Wash the others if it makes you feel better-personally i'd be more concerned about the ingestion of chemicals,than a few germs.

Answer 5

I also have a teddy thats 19 years previous i've got had it as a results of fact the day i became born I placed it interior the washer the different week and that i had no project with it! in the journey that your truly trouble regarding the washer ruining your teddy you'll be able to desire to objective hand washing them? or basically wiping them over with a cloth and then spray slightly of febreze on them to freshen them up

Answer 6

a warm cloth should be fine to wipe it down and i would NOT put it in the freezer, the condensation and moisture from the freezer could ruin the music box.
what you could do is take a slightly wet towel and put it in your microwave and heat it for about 1-2 minutes and then wipe it down immediately. The hot hot mositure should kil any surface germs. This what we do as we have a couple toys that cannot be machine washed.

Answer 7

HI, I have a 8 month old baby and I was just like you wondering the same thing, I did used hot water with a wash cloth to clean it a lil it bit, but I have see commercials about that, they tell you how to clean babies stuffed animals, you have to put them in a zip plastic bag, either big or small bag then put them in the frizzer for one day or more tha way it kills all the bacterias! I hope this helps you! I do this all the time!

Answer 8

I didnt wash my daughters soft toys,I just froze those with "electrical parts" and heated the others up in the microwave...Kills the germs without any hassles!

Answer 9

i would definitely wipe it down before giving it to him. and i'd wash the rest of his toys that are machine washable too.

my child isn't born yet, so i might be pretty germaphobic right now.

Answer 10

I'm not suggesting to raise your child in unhealthy environment but more you are sterilizing and sanitizing things you are making your kid extra sensitive and decreasing its immunity. once teething will start he will keep on nibbling different things and it will make him sick so don't make him that sensitive. so dont surface clean new toy until u think its really dirty:|)