Water beads are the cause of many accidents that can lead to real dramas. This is the case of little Kennedy, 10 months, who had to undergo heavy operations after accidentally swallowing a ball of water.
Often used to hydrate plants or as simple decoration, water beads are harmless in nature. For several years, they have been a real success with children, some parents use them as an activity or even in the bath. However, many accidents have been declared, having for causes these small pearls. Round and colorful, children regularly confuse them with sweets, as a result: they put them in their mouths. The ingestion of water beads or pearls by young children can cause serious accidents, sometimes fatal. Indeed, the latter have the property of being able to absorb 400 times their weight in water.
A real danger that Folichia Mitchell, an American mother, refuses to ignore after the terrible tragedy suffered by her 10-month-old daughter, Kennedy.
The little girl underwent 5 operations
In a video posted on November 3 on her Tiktok account, the young mother explained that her granddaughter had accidentally swallowed a pearl of water. Mitchell had bought these little balls from the Chuckle & Roar brand, for his 9-year-old son, who has an autistic syndrome.
Unfortunately, the pearl swallowed by little Kennedy has grown in her intestine. She was rushed to pediatric intensive care. The child was also put on a ventilator and had to undergo several surgeries to try to repair some of the damage. “The pearl blocked his small intestine, causing it to swell so large that it leaked into his body, and this caused sepsis and infection“explained the mother.
To date, Kennedy has undergone five surgeries. After spending two weeks in intensive care, her state of health having clearly improved, the little girl was able to be transferred to the pediatric ward.
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What to do when a child has swallowed water beads?
In case of ingestion, even suspected, call a poison control center immediately, or contact the SAMU at 15 to assess the situation.
The obstruction can be at the digestive level, but also at the level of the airways if the child has kept it in the mouth and this can lead to suffocation.