Before we had children, we'd buy and consume with little thought about how the products we brought into our home might threaten our health and safety. But kids are in our lives, those considerations are vitally important. When we have children, we think about the toxicity of chemicals, how healthy our food is, even the likelihood that an object could simply fall over and hurt them.
We can be vigilant and take precautions. Still, there’s no way to anticipate all of the dangerous things children will explore. Some of those things are toys designed for their entertainment.
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One aunt found herself in an upsetting situation while spending time with her nephew.
Kendall Kemezis is the aunt to a toddler. One night, while holding her nephew, she made a disturbing discovery. She shared her chilling story on the Tiny Hearts Foundation Instagram page. “… while holding my nephew I saw a bit of pink in his mouth so I investigated further and saw what I thought was a gumball,” she wrote. Kendall called her sister — the boy’s mother — to take a look.
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The object was a piece from one of the popular pop-it fidget toys.
“My sister felt it and realised it was rubber so she pulled at it and this piece of the toy had broken off somehow and it suctioned to his top gums,” Kendall explained. The rubber piece came from a common toy called a pop-it fidget. Kendall said she and her family are fortunate.
“We’re lucky it ended this way and not in him choking. We just wanted to inform others that these toys can have faulty parts as this piece must have broken off and fallen on the floor for the baby to have gotten it,” she wrote.
'This could have easily been swallowed,' Kendall wrote.
The suction caused swelling in the boy’s mouth, but it quickly went down and back to normal.
“It’s my suggestion to check these toys if you have them in the house and make sure they are of good quality,” Kendall advised. “This could have easily been swallowed and become a choking hazard.”
Parents vowed to discard similar toys in their homes.
In the comments section, parents chimed in, grateful for Kendall’s decision to share this story.
“Thanks for sharing, I have 4 in the playroom that I’ll now remove,” one user wrote.
“My son loves playing with his one & he eats everything so I think I’ll be removing it,” someone else commented.
Another person suggested that the toy be reviewed by a consumer safety panel and that the packaging should denote that it is a choking hazard. “Please note these are not suitable for children under3 years old," the commenter wrote. "So I hope parent are not buying for their children under 3 years old. When buying toys always check if it’s suitable for there child’s age.”
