Water beads can be harmful to children

Christmas is nearly upon us once more, and parents are busy looking for stocking fillers for their smaller children.

This year, water bead gift sets have been quite popular; they are typically brightly coloured, which is appealing to children, is it not?

Several children in Europe have died after swallowing them; this problem has also surfaced on our side of the channel, requiring immediate medical attention.

Parents of young children (under 5 years old) should keep them away from water beads, according to the Royal College of Emergency Medicine (RCEM).

Why are water beads so dangerous if swallowed?

If you ingest water beads, emergency doctors have issued a safety warning.

Children, especially small ones, are more likely to swallow them, which can be fatal.

Typically, they are only a few millimetres wide, but they can expand up to 400 times their original size within 36 hours, according to the Royal College of Emergency Medicine.

They could obstruct the bowel, with potentially fatal consequences.

They also pose a choking risk to young children, with several cases requiring A&E intervention.

The water beads are not visible by X-ray, so they would be difficult to detect quickly.

What should I do if I suspect my child has swallowed a water bead?

The Royal College of Emergency Medicine advises parents and child carers to seek immediate medical attention if they suspect their child or the child they are caring for may have swallowed a water bead.

Similar guidance has been provided in the past for button batteries and also for very strong, powerful magnets that are very easy to swallow.

Check out our blogs on both by clicking the links above.

Conclusion

There is nothing new about small children putting small things in their mouths, as most children have done during their early years.

Water beads can be harmful to a child if swallowed, and this becomes the latest in a growing list of things that can cause serious harm to a child.

We must either closely supervise our young children or consider purchasing an alternative gift that they would find more appealing to consume.

Trading Standards face a challenging task in removing items harmful to children from the market, given that you can now purchase most items online from anywhere in the world.

At the end of the day, it is up to the parents to supervise small children who may injure themselves if they ingest toys.

Many parents who have faced similar problems have expressed their satisfaction in having paediatric first aid knowledge and acting quickly to get their child to the hospital.