Is homemade play dough safer than store-bought Play-Doh?

What to know

Homemade play dough can be a good choice because you control the recipe. A simple cooked dough uses flour, salt, water, cream of tartar, and a little oil. You can skip strong scents and use light color.

It is not automatically safer if it is made with raw flour or stored too long. Flour is a raw food. It can carry germs, and young kids often put hands in their mouth during play.

What the research says

The FDA and CDC both warn that raw flour can carry germs such as E. coli or Salmonella. CDC specifically says not to let children play with or eat dough made with raw flour, including craft dough.

Use a cooked play dough recipe, supervise play, wash hands after, and toss dough when it smells off, dries out, or looks dirty. Store-bought dough is also fine for supervised play if your child does not mouth it and the scent does not bother their skin or breathing.