Mom Finds Something Awful in Her Sick Daughter’s Sippy Cup

If you’re a parent, then it’s safe to say that you do everything you can to keep your little one as healthy as possible. Nevertheless, there is one particular danger that may be lurking in one of their most frequently-handled items: their sippy cup.

That’s right, reports have recently surfaced claiming that these toddler must-haves can actually be hazardous to their health.

The story first broke when one parent posted their child’s disassembled Tommee Tippee sippy cup on the company’s Facebook page. The image showed mold growing on the inside lid, just centimeters from where their child was putting her mouth.

From there, parents far and wide started posting similar pictures on the page. Mother Jessica Rushton was one of them. In an interview with Healthline, she recalled her ordeal:

“Every time she drank from one of the cups she told me ‘mommy yucky,’” [Rushton remembers]. “I washed the cups and valves after every use, and every couple of day I would boil the lids and valves to try and ensure they would be as clean and germ free as possible.”

Though the mother clearly did her part in the sanitation process, her daughter did not cease her complaining. That’s when she “got curious and used a knife to snap one of the valves open.” What she was met with was a thick layer of mold that had been hidden from view for who knows how long!

Luckily, Rushton’s child did not suffer any discomfort except for that bad taste in her mouth, but other toddlers weren’t as lucky. In the original Facebook post that started it all, one woman described the infuriating story of what happened when her friend’s son became ill from the mold caked inside his sippy cup. She wrote:

My friend Simon O’kanada wondered why his son was always sick. He broke the anti-spill top of his ‘Tommee Tippee’ bottle and discovered mold inside the mouthpiece. It doesn’t wash and can’t be seen unless it is broken open. He called the company, and the lady on the phone laughed out loud.

Several moms on other groups have also discovered mold after my post in another Facebook group, so I’m sharing you. If you please, those who have these cups, pay attention! Being washed by hand or in the dishwasher, the mold will stay there!

Tommee Tippee did eventually cop up to the issue, but their apology does not mean that they are speaking on behalf of other companies out there. According to Dr. Claire McCarthy, a pediatrician at Boston Children’s Hospital and assistant professor of pediatrics at Harvard Medical School, any sippy cup has the ability to harbor mold.

She explains, “Almost by definition, because the way sippy cups work, fluids can get trapped in whatever is being used as the mechanism — and when fluids get trapped and left there, mold can grow.”

To see even more photos from parents who have experienced this horrifying problem, be sure to read Shareably’s article here. And we’re sure it goes without saying, but check those sippy cups, especially if you have any doubt in your mind as to their cleanliness!

What do you think can be done to prevent the growth of mold in these cups? Have you ever encountered mold in your child’s sippy cup? If so, what did you do? Tell us all about your thoughts and experiences in the comments section below!