Dangerous bath toys: boy almost goes blind

So that children don't get bored in the bathtub, they are happy to give them bath toys. A couple of rubber ducks, boats, marine animals … but what many don't think about: Inside the rubber toys there is a hidden danger: mold and bacteria. Because the inside of the toy does not dry properly, pathogens can multiply there particularly quickly. The story of little Baylor from the USA shows that this can be not just theory, but bitter reality.

Regular cleaning was of no use

His mother, Eden Strong, knew that water toys could go moldy from the inside. That's why she squeezed out the rubber animals after every bath and cleaned them regularly with a water-bleach solution. But apparently that did not kill all pathogens. When Baylor splashes water in his eye with the toy, the drama begins. His eye turns fiery red a short time later. "I thought it just came from the irritation of the water jet," writes Eden in her post on Facebook.

When the inflammation gets worse, the parents drive Baylor to the doctor. He fears nothing bad and Baylor is given eye drops. But the symptoms continued to get worse, and only later did the doctors confirm Eden's suspicion: Baylor had a bad tissue inflammation and immediately needed antibiotics.

"Doctors Said Baylor May Go Blind"

"The following week was hell," says Eden. "Baylor had severe inflammation that spread to the other eye. Doctors said he might even lose his sight in the worse eye." For Eden and her husband, of course, that's a shock.

But thank God: the antibiotics are working and Baylor's eyes are gradually recovering. Today he can see normally again and is livelier than ever.

Eden is very happy that the shock week is over and now has an important appeal to all parents: "You can't see the bacteria in Badespielzeg – just throw it away!"