best toddler development toys image
Laura M
What's the mixture? How much of clorox and what else?
Do you need to rinse the toys off after the clorox?
I know these may sound like stupid questions for some people, but I honestly don't know. I have just been boiling water and sanitizing that way.
Answer
I have been a child care provider in my home for 20 years plus I organize toy cleaning sessions for the nursery, toddler, and preschool rooms at our church. If you are just wanting to keep the toys clean that typically just your child uses at your home then one of the best and easiest ways to do this is to put them on the top shelf of your dishwasher and run them through a cycle. For toys that are not dishwasher safe or too large than you can just keep them washed with warm soapy water and rinsed well afterwards. Disinfection for normal home use really isn't needed, but if your child has been ill (especially with anything stomach related) or has had a playmate over who has put toys in her mouth or showed signs of illness than you may feel better to disinfect them. This is the method I use for my daycare toys and what we do at our church: First, wash hard surfaced items in warm soapy water (we use regular dish soap - Dawn) either in a dishpan or with a cloth. Use a scrub brush for exceptionally dirty items and on toys with crevices. After washing, rinse with lots of clear water to thoroughly remove soap residue. In a large container (I use either a dishpan or a mop bucket), put 1 gallon warm tap water. Add 1 Tablespoon household bleach to the water than add the toys to cover. Allow to sit in the bleach water a few minutes than remove and let air dry at least overnight. Discard the bleach water after use. It is not toxic to drain systems and can be dumped down the sink or toilet. Many people are nervous about leaving the bleach water solution on the toys, but bleach breaks down very quickly and returns to it's original state of salt and water and the chlorine evaporates, leaving no residue. For large toys not able to be immersed, place some of the bleach water in a spray bottle and spray on then let air dry. Most infant chew toys are top rack dishwasher safe and I wash all my infant toys this way as well as bring home the infant toys from church to wash through my dishwasher. We keep an empty dishpan on the shelf in each of the rooms where infants, toddlers, and preschoolers have care and classes. After a child has used a toy or has put one in their mouth, the care givers/teachers place the toy in the dishpan. Someone comes through once a week and either takes them home to run through their dishwasher or we have the instructions and supplies to do cleaning and disinfecting with soap, water, and bleach. ETA: I would just like to add that while bleach does make a good disinfectant, as with everything, you can get too much of a good thing. Excessive use of products such as disinfectants, anti-bacterial products, and hand sanitizers has been strongly linked to the development of bacteria and viruses that are resistant to normal treatment. There are good germs and bad germs. These products do not know the difference and kill both the good and the bad. If you feel you must disinfect, do so with caution and in moderation.
I have been a child care provider in my home for 20 years plus I organize toy cleaning sessions for the nursery, toddler, and preschool rooms at our church. If you are just wanting to keep the toys clean that typically just your child uses at your home then one of the best and easiest ways to do this is to put them on the top shelf of your dishwasher and run them through a cycle. For toys that are not dishwasher safe or too large than you can just keep them washed with warm soapy water and rinsed well afterwards. Disinfection for normal home use really isn't needed, but if your child has been ill (especially with anything stomach related) or has had a playmate over who has put toys in her mouth or showed signs of illness than you may feel better to disinfect them. This is the method I use for my daycare toys and what we do at our church: First, wash hard surfaced items in warm soapy water (we use regular dish soap - Dawn) either in a dishpan or with a cloth. Use a scrub brush for exceptionally dirty items and on toys with crevices. After washing, rinse with lots of clear water to thoroughly remove soap residue. In a large container (I use either a dishpan or a mop bucket), put 1 gallon warm tap water. Add 1 Tablespoon household bleach to the water than add the toys to cover. Allow to sit in the bleach water a few minutes than remove and let air dry at least overnight. Discard the bleach water after use. It is not toxic to drain systems and can be dumped down the sink or toilet. Many people are nervous about leaving the bleach water solution on the toys, but bleach breaks down very quickly and returns to it's original state of salt and water and the chlorine evaporates, leaving no residue. For large toys not able to be immersed, place some of the bleach water in a spray bottle and spray on then let air dry. Most infant chew toys are top rack dishwasher safe and I wash all my infant toys this way as well as bring home the infant toys from church to wash through my dishwasher. We keep an empty dishpan on the shelf in each of the rooms where infants, toddlers, and preschoolers have care and classes. After a child has used a toy or has put one in their mouth, the care givers/teachers place the toy in the dishpan. Someone comes through once a week and either takes them home to run through their dishwasher or we have the instructions and supplies to do cleaning and disinfecting with soap, water, and bleach. ETA: I would just like to add that while bleach does make a good disinfectant, as with everything, you can get too much of a good thing. Excessive use of products such as disinfectants, anti-bacterial products, and hand sanitizers has been strongly linked to the development of bacteria and viruses that are resistant to normal treatment. There are good germs and bad germs. These products do not know the difference and kill both the good and the bad. If you feel you must disinfect, do so with caution and in moderation.
How do you get a toddler to stop throwing food on the floor?
Just One G
Drives me nuts! My son is 17mos. He does it with his food and his toys. I tried to ignore it. That hasn't worked. I've tried to tell him no-no and that hasn't worked. Do I just have to wait for him to out grow it?
Answer
While this is a normal stage of development, you do not have to 'wait for him to outgrow it'. This is a really simple one if you are willing to stick to your guns and listen to a lot of crying for a few days.
Right now you may be unconsciously reinforcing this behavior by reacting strongly, or picking his toys up and giving them back to him.
When your son is in the highchair and throws food say "Okay, lunch time is over. Next time do not throw food." Do not worry it he is still hungry, you can try again in half an hour or so. Actually, the more times a day you him in the high chair, then take him out for throwing, the faster this behavior will stop.
When he throws toys out of his stroller or crib, playpen etc, then take them and do not give them back. When he starts throwing a fit, just say "Next time you have a toy, don't throw it". Again, the throwing will stop faster the more times you reinforce this lesson. You may want to take a couple of walks in the stroller for no other purpose but ti teach this lesson since if you actually have something else to do, you are very likely to give in and give him the toy back, or worse bribe him to stop crying by giving him a treat.
The best thing to do if he throws a fit is to not let him out of the stroller until he is done crying. It is important for him to see you but don't look at him or react to the crying. It is very difficult for children of this age to calm themselves down, and if you leave him to cry alone he may become afraid, but if you react then you reaffirm his feeling that something is wrong.
While this is a normal stage of development, you do not have to 'wait for him to outgrow it'. This is a really simple one if you are willing to stick to your guns and listen to a lot of crying for a few days.
Right now you may be unconsciously reinforcing this behavior by reacting strongly, or picking his toys up and giving them back to him.
When your son is in the highchair and throws food say "Okay, lunch time is over. Next time do not throw food." Do not worry it he is still hungry, you can try again in half an hour or so. Actually, the more times a day you him in the high chair, then take him out for throwing, the faster this behavior will stop.
When he throws toys out of his stroller or crib, playpen etc, then take them and do not give them back. When he starts throwing a fit, just say "Next time you have a toy, don't throw it". Again, the throwing will stop faster the more times you reinforce this lesson. You may want to take a couple of walks in the stroller for no other purpose but ti teach this lesson since if you actually have something else to do, you are very likely to give in and give him the toy back, or worse bribe him to stop crying by giving him a treat.
The best thing to do if he throws a fit is to not let him out of the stroller until he is done crying. It is important for him to see you but don't look at him or react to the crying. It is very difficult for children of this age to calm themselves down, and if you leave him to cry alone he may become afraid, but if you react then you reaffirm his feeling that something is wrong.
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