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Parents have been warned to clean their children's toys properly after gruesome footage captured maggots crawling out of a popular doll.

Alyssa Abston, 18, shared video of a maggot-infested Baby Alive doll belonging to a family friend after it scared her six-year-old niece.

The clip shows insects crawling inside the £35 doll, which can be fed pretend snacks with a special spoon before it is 'pooped' into a nappy.

The nappy, which comes with the doll, was also shown to be infested by maggots.

(Image: MEN MEDIA)

The video has received more than seven million views on Facebook as Alyssa warned parents to clean the inside the dolls properly or face the horrific consequences.

She wrote: "So for anyone whose kid has a Baby Alive or a baby doll that can be 'fed', please please make sure you wash it with hot water and soap after each use."

She added : "The doll was actually a family friend's and my six-year-old niece found it.

(Image: MEN MEDIA)

"She screamed really loud because she thought the baby had worms."

Alyssa decided to film the inside of the doll and take photos of the maggots to share as a warning to others.

She added: "It shows just how gross it was and we threw it away right then. I think they had fed it baby formula."

Hundreds of people have commented on the post, with many saying they don't have a problem with the dolls when they only use the pretend food they come with.

Tracy Summar said: "I'm trying to figure out how they didn't smell it before the maggot eggs even hatched! Gross."

Tarra Rae said: "Wouldn't it be common sense to wash it after every use!?"

And Ashley Bowen Kent added: "My daughter has this exact same one. She's three and has never put real food in the thing. Common sense to wash it out after use."

There are numerous varieties of the Baby Alive dolls, which are manufactured by Hasbro and recommended for children from the age of three.

The description for one, the Baby Alive Super Snacks Snackin' Lily Blonde, states: "Snackin Lily is an adorable baby with a big appetite.

"With the reusable doll food and snack shaper, kids can get creative and make different kinds of yummy looking pretend food for her.

"After the pretend snacks are ready, scoop them out of her dish with her special spoon. They can try doing the airplane it works every time.

"Snackin Lily eats it all up. Yummy. Which snack is her favorite to munch on."