Mother Shares Warning About Water Beads After Daughter Nearly Dies - In The News

Mother Ashley Haugen shares a warning about water beads after her youngest daughter nearly dies from ingesting them by accident. 

As a mom, we review any toy that comes into our domesticated haven like it’s a new product pitch on the ‘Shark Tank.’ Our instinct is to protect our children from harm but also expand their minds through play. That’s what Ashley Haugen did when water beads came into review for her oldest daughter Abigal, as a birthday present. 

Ashley researched water beads, and after reviewing the safety information, she decided it would be a good gift for her daughter Abigal’s sixth birthday. She opted only to allow Abigal to play with them under supervision. Somehow, her 10-month-old daughter Kipley had ingested the water beads. This put Kipley’s life on the line.

When water beads are exposed to moisture, they expand and grow in size. In Kipley’s case, they had expanded to the size of a ping-pong ball in her body. Water beads are small gel-filled, colorful balls used as a sensory toy or for decor. They are marketed as a safe toy, however, if these toys are ingested, they can cause ‘Toxic Brain Encephalopathy’, which is due to the ingredient acrylamide.

Baby Kipley had ingested the fun, colorful water beads despite all the safety precautions put into place. She eventually woke up and began to vomit profusely. Ashley and her husband knew right away something was wrong. They took her to the emergency room for help. However, Kipley’s medical team couldn’t seem to find what was wrong either until an X-Ray revealed Kipley had ingested the colorful toy. 

It took several months for Kipley to recover from a toy marketed as a ‘safe sensory toy.’ Kipely is now in school, and she is helping her mom spread awareness about unsafe toys like water beads. Kipley helps share her story with others in hopes of saving other children from unexpected play hazards. 

Thank the good Lord for his hand in healing Kipley. No matter what circumstances we face, God can and will use them for the good of all mankind. We pray God continues to use Kipley and others like her for the lives of overs.  

“For the Lord your God is the one who goes with you, to fight for you against your enemies, to save you,” Deuteronomy 20:4.