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This Mom Wants You to Know the Dangers of Magnetic Toys After Her Son’s Emergency Surgery
This is a warning all parents need to read.
LeslieLauren
After a terrifying ordeal, a Wisconsin mom is sharing the harrowing details of how a popular kid’s toy lead to emergency surgery for her four-year-old son. Jennifer White detailed the experience on Facebook and explained that her son Beck became very sick on Christmas Eve. After he was rushed to the hospital, she received the diagnosis — her son had ingested magnets from one of his favorite building toys.
“Beck broke open a magnetic toy and has 13 tiny magnets in him. I feel guilty AF and horrible posting this but I don’t want another child to go through this,” White wrote on Facebook. “If you have little ones or chewers these are dangerous and we’re removing them from our home. Dogs could also break these open too.”
After his surgery, White updated the post with his current condition. “He has finished with surgery they had to remove part of his colon, intestines and appendix. The magnets created holes and infection in his intestines.” She continued by saying he needed to stay at Children’s Hospital of Milwaukee for three to four days and that doctors would still need to monitor him closely.
If you aren’t familiar with these magnetic tiles, they are sold to kids of all ages — even preschool aged, and often come as part of building sets. My kids are huge fans of these and to be honest, I never thought they could break the plastic shell to get to the magnets inside until I read this mom’s post. It seems like a lot of other moms were just as shocked, because White’s post was shared over 366,000 times.
However, the American Academy of Pediatrics has warned pediatricians and parents about the dangers of magnetic toys. When the magnets are swallowed, they can pull together with enough force to cause serious and life-threatening damage to a child’s digestive system.
“The mom guilt is huge because you feel that you failed your child,” White said in an interview, but she is hopeful that by sharing Beck’s story she can help to keep other kids safe.
