Retailers Have Decided To Stop Selling Water Beads After Experts Warn Of Their Danger
Yes. Water beads are a super cool sensory toy…
But, they can be hella dangerous to kiddos — especially young ones who try to eat them.
I mean, they’re pretty, they are shiny, and they look like candy. Why wouldn’t you want to throw a couple in your pie hole and swallow them?
The only prob is that these water beads expand to 100 times their normal size — they leach the moisture from your mouth and digestive tract, and they can block up your intestines.
According to the Product Safety Commission, these water beads “can pose ingestion, choking and intestinal obstruction hazards inside a child’s body, resulting in severe discomfort, vomiting, dehydration and a risk of death to a child.”
Water beads often have to be removed through surgical procedures — although they can be difficult to see on x-rays, because they are mostly water.
If you can’t see the water bead, you can’t remove it. Bad news.
They are so dangerous, that doctors are warning that these water beads are among the top 5 toys that will land kids in the ER during Christmas.
Now, many retailers — including Amazon, Target, and Walmart — have made the voluntary decision to stop selling water beads that are marketed towards children.
Can you believe it? They are putting safety before profit!!
In the interest of safety, Amazon will no longer allow the sale of water beads that are marketed to children, including as toys, art supplies or for sensory play. — We work hard to ensure the products offered in our store are safe, and we have teams dedicated to developing and updating our policies, evaluating listings, and continuously monitoring our store to prevent unsafe and noncompliant products from being listed.
Amazon Spokesperson
Retailers Are Pulling Water Beads Off Their Shelves After Experts Warn Of Their Dangers
While there hasn’t been an official ban on water beads, many experts are warning of the dangers of having water beads in your house.
There has been legislation introduced to Congress to try and ban water beads from sale, and if it goes through, things will be a little more official.
BUT, for now, retailers are doing the right thing, and pulling water beads marketed towards kids off their shelves.
We decided to voluntarily stop selling expanding water bead toy and craft items marketed to young children and have already taken steps to remove them from our stores and online.
Walmart Spokesperson
This is great news, as the safety of kids should always come before making a buck!
Stay safe out there this Christmas, and don’t buy water beads as gifts for the littles.
