Children's Modeling Clay and Play Dough — child safety profile
Low riskSoft modeling compounds for children (Play-Doh, modeling clay, slime).
What is this product?
Soft modeling compounds for children (Play-Doh, modeling clay, slime). Commercial Play-Doh is wheat flour + salt + water + colorant + preservative. Generally non-toxic but contains wheat (celiac/allergy), high salt (harmful if large quantity ingested), and synthetic colorants. Some polymer clays (Sculpey, Fimo) release HCl and phthalate plasticizers when over-baked. Homemade versions may use borax or alum.
What's in it
Click any compound name for its full safety profile, regulatory consensus, and exposure data.
Preservatives
- Silane — 15-25% — harmful if large quantity ingested by child
Who's most at risk
- Children — Developing endocrine and neurological systems, higher exposure per body weight
Safer alternatives
- Gluten-free play dough
- Beeswax modeling wax
- Kinetic sand (wheat-free)
Frequently asked questions
What's in Children's Modeling Clay and Play Dough?
This product type can contain: Sodium chloride, among others. Click any compound name above for the full safety profile.
Who should be careful with Children's Modeling Clay and Play Dough?
Vulnerable populations identified for this product type: children.
Are there safer alternatives to Children's Modeling Clay and Play Dough?
Yes — consider: Gluten-free play dough; Beeswax modeling wax; Kinetic sand (wheat-free). See the Safer alternatives section above for details.
Look up Children's Modeling Clay and Play Dough in the baby app
Search by ingredient, browse by category, or compare to alternatives in the live app.
Open in baby View raw API dataReference data, not professional advice. Aggregates publicly available regulatory and scientific information. Why we built ALETHEIA →