When a baby's teeth first start to come through their gums, many parents consider a teething toy their best friend. Designed to help with pain relief, they can prove a real comfort to children and caregivers alike.
But one mum has been left horrified after cutting in one of her child's old toys - and discovering a large build-up of mould.
Keen to highlight her discovery, the doctor then took to TikTok to share her findings with other parents.
Posting as @dr.katie.h, mum-of-two Katie explained the 'Sophie the Giraffe' toy belongs to her older child. "She got this when she was a baby and she loved it.
"She would chew on it all the time," the parent began. "She's not used it for about a year now. It's been packed away, but she recently found it and gave it to baby Alexander to play with.
"But he's already been gifted a new one so I decided let's cut it open and see how gross it really is inside.
"And, if it's not that bad, then baby Alexander can play with it."
However, the mum quickly changed her mind after taking a look inside. As she cut into the toy she confessed: "I don't reckon this one will be that bad. She did love it. She would chew it all the time. I suppose it has been packed away for a little while. Okay, I'm getting a bit scared."
Unfortunately, her findings did little to soothe her nerves. "Oh my god! No way! Omg, I just got goosebumps," Katie responded after getting a glimpse.
"The thought that this has been anywhere near my baby's mouth, look how mouldy it is! That is gross," she continued. If that's what a chew toy looks like inside, imagine what the inside of bath toys look like. I can't believe that"
In her caption, she added: "Ok I need a new baby teething toy, any suggestions?!! Why does Sophie the giraffe come with a hole in it?!!"
Katie's video has since amassed over a million views from shocked parents, who had a lot to say about the viral video.
"Did anyone else just cut open their giraffe to find it was completely clean all along," read one response. Someone else revealed they'd checked theirs and it was 'absolutely fine inside'.
But another person wrote:" I think I'm scared of baby toys now." Meanwhile, others tried to figure out what went wrong. "That's clearly been submerged in water which isn't recommended!" someone claimed.
And a different commenter questioned: "Has it been submerged in water? We've had our trusty Sophie for over a year now and she’s fine! You can't get her wet!"
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