Mom cuts open bath toy and discovers ‘horrifying’ bacteria: ‘I was not prepared’

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A TikTok mom was shocked when she cut open her baby’s bath toys and discovered a lurking danger inside.

Mom Hilda (@xhildax) wasn’t sure what she would find when she decided to cut her baby’s bath toys in half — but thankfully, she recorded her findings and shared the footage with parents everywhere.

@xhildax

Horrifying😳🤢😱 ##ew ##cleaning ##bathtoys ##bathtoy ##disgusting ##momsoftiktok ##momlife ##nannylife ##foryou ##fyp

♬ Chicago (Jersey Club) – DJ Smallz 732

According to Hilda’s video, it all started when she came across the story of a toddler who nearly lost his vision due to an infection caused by bacteria found in his bath toys.

That original story, shared by mom Eden Strong, warned parents that water can get trapped in bath toys, leading to such bacteria as E. coli, legionella, and pseudomonas aeruginosa — bacteria that nearly caused her 2-year-old to lose his sight.

Terrified, Hilda decided to cut open her own child’s bath toys to see what was inside — and what she discovered shocked her.

Inside all of her baby’s old toys was a scary-looking black growth, presumably the bacteria Eden had warned parents about.

But Hilda didn’t stop there. Sure, their old toys that hadn’t been cleaned or used for a while might have some growth inside — but surely not their brand-new toys that they’d been cleaning with chlorine and draining of water after every bath?

Wrong. Just like the old, unwashed toys, Hilda’s month-old and frequently-washed toys were filled with the same black growth.

After that shocking discovery, Hilda shows herself throwing out the mildew-filled, bisected bath toys. “I just wanted to share this to warn other parents out there so that you can check your bath toys too,” she said.

Desperate for help, she concluded her TikTok video by asking viewers for their recommendations for safe, healthy bath toys. Thankfully, the comments came pouring in.

‘Thank you momma for sharing this very important information with us!’

With over 7M views, Hilda’s bath toy warning made huge waves through TikTok, as grateful parents everywhere were eager to share her important message with others.

And, to Hilda’s relief, many suggestions came in for safe baby bath toys — but most parents sang the praises of one type of toy in particular: Ubbi bath toys.

“The Ubbi bath set on Amazon is so good. The toys are silicone and you can open them up and dry them after the bath. All the fun, none of the mold!” one user commented.

Another user wrote, “The Ubbi Baby Bath Toy Gift set!! They are specifically made to avoid the mold, and they are worth it!!”

“Ubbi Bath Toy Set!!!” echoed another user.

Other parents chimed in with different toy recommendations — such as waterproof books or stacking cups — and some suggested simply blocking the holes of bath toys with a hot glue gun.

While we’re not sure which product Hilda will get to replace her baby’s bath toys, one thing is certain: thanks to Hilda’s now-viral TikTok, parents everywhere will be checking their baby’s toys before the next bath time.

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If you enjoyed this story, check out this mom’s bath time hack for ‘stubborn’ babies who hate baths!

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