How to Care for a Toy
Let's be honest. Kids are not gentle when it comes to toys. So caring for your baby toys and toys in general is important. Like all possessions, we want the toys to last. And this is particularly true with our baby toys and toys for older children. Particularly, as we tend to pass the toys down from child to child or give them to friends and family when they have new babies.
While it's great to find a great baby toy. It is really great to make the toy last for lots of kids.
1. Plastic Toys: First, are the baby toys all-plastic? If not, be careful of any 'hybrids' - plastic and fabric combos. If the baby toy is all-plastic, a simple wet cloth, with a gentle cleaner (Ivory dish soap) will do the trick. We recommend (after you cleaned the toy for the first time) to also wipe it down with just a damp cloth (no soap) to get any soap residue off of the toy. Of course, with plastic toys, and all toys - the reason to clean them on a semi-regular basis to keep the germ-count to a minimum.
2. Toys with Batteries: Many plastic toys have batteries. While changing the batteries does not count as cleaning a toy, you may want to change the batteries before they run-out. Sometimes batteries can leak and then you'll end-up throwing out the toy. Whenever you can, as soon as the batteries start to falter, change-em. The toy will stay fresh and new.
3. Wooden Toys: We love wooden baby toys. They look good. They feel good when you hold them in your hands. But wooden baby toys require a little more tender loving care than plastic toys. Although toys made of wood are just like plastic toys, a little mild soap on a damp cloth should do the trick...there is a little more involvement. Please make sure to dry the toy completely, as wet wood is not your friend. it can crack or warp or splinter. Just keep it dry and you should be in the clear. Also, be on the lookout for peeling paint. If any toy's paint starts to peel away, we recommend discarding the toy immediately.
4. Cloth or Fabric Toys: All-cloth or all-fabric toys are the easiest to care for. Simply read the care instructions because many allow for actually putting the toy into the washing machine. This is the best for really cleaning the toys. Given that so many stuffed animals ultimately make it into the baby's mouth and therefore retain lots and lots of germs (after having been in other babys' mouths, or dragged on the floor) washing in the washing machine is the best option. It keeps the toys smelling fresh and being sanitary.
5. Books: The issue with books, is that baby's love to tear out the pages...especially the pop up books. While you must introduce books to a child at a young age, supervised reading is the only way to go. Most of us are parents at ebeanstalk, and we've 'lost' many a book to the child who insists on turning the page...ooops...ripping out the page....rending the wheels on the bus...well...flat.
6. Board Books: Hooray for board-books. What better way to bond with your baby than with some good ole fashioned board books. And most board books have a protective coating on their thick pages. Simply wipe those down from time to time with a semi-damp cloth and a mild cleaning agent (Ivory Liquid)
7. Basic Maintenance: Don't be delinquent in tightening loose screws on your toys. We've seen it many times...that handles break...the wheels fall off... when simple maintenance would keep the toys running for a LONG time. And by the way, many toy manufacturers do not sell replacements, so you'll end up getting a whole new baby toy because of a simple broken handle. Case in point, a customer sent back a baby's trike, because the handle broke off from the main part of the toy. We ended up being able to literally cement the handle back together. But if the screws were tight, this toy would have been perfect for a long long time.
8. Germs: This is a hot topic among child experts. Germs or no-germs. Well, the bottom line is that no house or baby toys are germ free. But after a child is sick, it's best to do a quick once-over and give the toys a quick wipe down, as those pesky germs have a way of lingering.
