Dangerous ‘non-toxic’ water beads parents are still buying

A dangerous children’s toy that has been the subject of multiple warnings is still being sold across Aussie stores and online.

It’s the dangerous children’s toy that serious warnings have been issued over.

But despite their potentially deadly risk, Australian stores are still selling water beads – and parents continue to buy them for their kids.

While the small balls that expand in water are recommended for older kids, parents of toddlers use them for sensory play and have found ways to adapt their use so their children cannot pick them up and swallow them.

They can be marketed as toys and learning aids for autistic children.

The Australian Competition and Consumer Commission issued a warning back in 2015 alerting people to the “dangers” of the balls after several children ingested them and needed surgery to have them removed.

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The ACCC’s warning from 2015 included these images.

Larger varieties of the balls can expand to a golf ball size.

“The products are small and colourful and can be attractive to young children, who naturally place items in their mouths at early stages of their development,” ACCC Deputy Chair Delia Rickard said at the time.

“Once ingested, just one ball can expand inside a child’s body and cause intestinal obstruction, vomiting, severe discomfort and dehydration and may need to be surgically removed.”

Kmart, Target and Big W all sell versions of the water beads, commonly the Orbeez brand.

People can also buy them from other online marketplaces in huge packets. Some larger varieties can expand to be the size of a golf ball.

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Australian stores sell the beads in products like this.

The ABC reports that the Queensland Poisons Information Centre recorded 71 calls of children ingesting the balls since 2018.

While there isn’t any current data for NSW, its Poisons Information Centre senior specialist Genevieve Adamo said about one in five children ended up in hospital after their parents raised the alarm.

She warned people not to have the beads in their house, particularly if they had kids under five.

Ms Adamo said people were misled into thinking the balls were safe because they were marketed as non-toxic.

In 2019 American mum Janet Macdonald shared her terrifying story of her baby nearly dying after the nine-month-old swallowed beads at his daycare centre.

“One had blocked his pyloric valve on the way out of the stomach,” Janet said.

“At one point, the surgeons had his entire digestive tract out of his body.

“They ran their fingers down the length to make sure all the pieces were out.

“I saw the lead surgeon’s picture and I will never lose that image in my mind.”

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News.com.au has contacted Big W, Kmart and Target for comment.

A spokeswoman for Big W told the ABC the products they stocked had been tested and met all relevant requirements of the Australian and New Zealand safety standards for toys, including those specific to expandable materials.

“The products also feature age-appropriate recommendations for children under five years old, which we would always encourage our customers to follow,” she said.