No parent wants to see their child gets sick but unfortunately, illness is something that is going to happen to all children in some way or another. Although it may not be a serious illness, as the children grow, their immune system is susceptible to the common cold and flu. At times, however, what may seem to be a “normal” cold, might actually be something far worse.
Penny Powell, a Facebook user, recently shared a number of photos that is likely to shock many parents who are reading this information. In the post, she said how a friend’s son was frequently getting ill and the father began to investigate the sippy cup as a possible reason for the illness.
The sippy cup may look familiar to you, as it is a popular type. It has a leak proof spout and is sealed to help keep messes to a minimum.
Simon, the father, noticed that there was a strange odor coming from the opening.
Simon took a knife and cracked open the seal on the sippy cup. When he was inside of it, he couldn’t believe what he found!
It was then that Simon recognized that his son had been drinking from a sippy cup that was completely full of mold. Penny took the pictures from Simon and shared them on Facebook. She also found other parents who have made a similar discovery.
Some of the replies to Penny’s posts let her know that other parents were having a similar experience. There was a common thread throughout anyone who was having a problem, they were all using Tommee Tippee brand sippy cups.
Tommee Tippee France, the company that manufactures these cups has made an attempt to address some of the complaints appearing on Facebook. Doing so has only helped to alert more parents to the possibility and more of them have been sharing the pictures of the mold they found in the sippy cups in their home.
Tommee Tippee France has offered this response on BuzzFeed:
“The results support that when used with recommended liquids (cold, light fluids including water and non-pulp juices) and cleaned in line with instructions, there are no problems. Difficulties have arisen though when liquids that are not recommended for use in the cups have been used, like thick formula milk, pulpy juice, and warm liquids. We also recommend that cups are not left for long periods before being cleaned.”
Admittedly, it is sound advice to follow the instructions for cleaning provided by the manufacturer, but a parent should never assume that mold will not grow in the sippy cup if they follow those instructions.
When the cup has a see-through top, it is easy to tell when something is growing or has become lodged inside of the lid. It may appear to be dirt but in reality, it could be a mold colony beginning to form!
Although Tommee Tippee cups have certainly gotten a bad name from this exposure, don’t assume that they are the only cups to have this problem. Their design is similar to the designs of several other brands and even different types of drinking mechanisms can also foster the growth of mold.
As you can see in the video below, even drinking cups that have straws as the drinking mechanism are not immune to this issue. If you must use these cups, check them carefully and frequently for the beginning stages of a mold colony.
Exposure to mold is no laughing matter and can result in many dangerous symptoms, including throat irritation, nasal stuffiness, coughing and wheezing, skin irritation or eye irritation. Any sippy cups should be thoroughly cleaned after every time you use them and inspected regularly for mold growth or other contaminants.
Via: Distractify
Do you know someone who has children that use sippy cups? Make sure they are aware of this danger by sharing this article with them.