A mom from Pennsylvania is feeling guilty about trying the Jolly Rancher grape trend with her 9-year-old son after making the candy grapes left him with severe burns.
People on TikTok have been showing off their Jolly Rancher grapes for several years, and the recipe has been trending again recently. Many TikTok users make the recipe look relatively easy. It involves melting Jolly Rancher hard candies, then dipping grapes attached to toothpicks into the hot Jolly Rancher liquid, and letting the candy harden around the grapes. Though the steps seem simple, making the candy grapes comes with risks.
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The mom wanted to spend time with her son.
Christina Blackstone spoke to triblive.com about how her attempt to try something new with her son went terribly wrong.
Her 9-year-old son, Caidan, is "mature" and generally "careful," and he has experience helping his mom out in the kitchen, Christina told the outlet. "It was supposed to be a fun afternoon activity, it was raining outside," the mom told CBS.
Her son tripped while making the candy grapes.
Caidan was being careful while making the Jolly Rancher grapes alongside his mom, Christina told triblive.com. However, when walking from the microwave with a bowl of the melted Jolly Ranchers candy, he tripped, causing the hot candy to coat his hand.
The Jolly Ranchers liquid is 350 degrees Fahrenheit, Dr. Ariel Aballay, the director of West Penn Hospital's burn unit, told CBS when discussing the burn risk for molten candy.
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She's now dealing with mom guilt.
Christina's son started screaming as the candy began hardening on his hands. Once the candy hardens, it can lead to deeper burns, Aballay told CBS. Christina had the instinctual urge to pull the candy off her son's hand, which Abally said was the right thing to do. His injuries could've been much worse, but Caidan is still dealing with second-degree burns.
He's also doing hand exercise rehab and his skin and fingernails are growing back. Even though she did the right thing when faced with this scary situation, Christina is still dealing with "mom guilt for even thinking this was a good idea," she told CBS.
Other TikTokers have burned themselves trying to make this recipe.
Christina is not the only person who has witnessed how this trending recipe can go terribly wrong. "If you're going to make the Jolly Rancher-covered grapes, make sure you wear gloves or your hand is going to end up possibly looking like mine," TikTok user @bethanybreanne said in a video in which she showed people the second-degree burn on her hand.
Another TikTok user, @isbriizeeyy, decided the recipe is not for her because you have to do everything quickly and she also burned herself in the process.
This trend is probably not for kids, and comes with risks.
Christina has warned other moms that it's probably best to skip this particular trend. “I do want other mothers to know that this is probably something that should be avoided,” she told triblive.com. “I wouldn’t recommend anybody to do it, and if you’re going to do it, kick the kids out of the kitchen.”
Aballay has seen other patients who were affected by the trend, and he encourages people to remember that “there are risks associated with the activity,” even though it may look fun and relatively simple on TikTok. The most important thing to remember, he told triblive.com, is to seek medical treatment for a serious burn rather than trying to handle it on your own.
