This beloved and popular Sophie The Giraffe teething toy has parents outraged.

Several parents discovered a musty smell emitting from the small hole on the giraffe's belly. Upon cutting open the small giraffe, black mold spotted the entire inside.

If you've ever purchased a Sophie Giraffe for your baby, you know she is advertised as a perfectly safe and pain soothing teething toy made with 100% natural rubber that is supposed to help develop a baby's five senses.

What you didn't know is that toxic molds could be living in this cute, innocent looking giraffe.

What you might have missed

Instructions included in the packaging from Vulli, the French manufacturing company that makes Sophie, recommended cleaning the surface of the giraffe with a damp cloth and not immersing it in water to prevent damage.

However, allowing moisture into that nasty little hole may be unavoidable for those with drooly babies.

Amazon reviewer, Stephanie Oprea, tried to warn parents of the ugly, smelly mold. "Beware!! If you have a drooly baby, moisture will get in the hole and you'll end up with mold! We've had our for two years and the entire inside is coated with black mold!"

Dana Chianese, a pediatric dentist, used to recommend Sophie The Giraffe to her patients. After she "discovered a science experiment living inside" her child's Sophie giraffe, she said that it hurt her heart to know that she had been giving her child moldy toys and stopped recommending them to patients.

Would you risk your child to mold?

A statementwas given by Laurie Schraenen, a spokeswoman for Vulli, that the quality department had assessed and concluded that saliva could not cause the mold type that was shown in photos they had received.

How can you prevent mold in toys

Carolyn Forte from the Cleaning Lab at the The Good Housekeeping Institute, says, "The only way to prevent mold inside plastic toys is to make sure they are cleaned and thoroughly dried."

If your child uses these toys on a daily basis, Forte recommends cleaning your children's toys at once a week and disinfecting them with a ½ cup Clorox bleach per gallon of water. She says to soak them for five minutes, rinse thoroughly and allow them to air dry.

Your child's safety is such an important priority. Hopefully, this helps you become aware of how to better prevent hazardous mold in your child's toys.