A seven-year-old girl was rushed to hospital with blisters after an unheated NeeDoh squishy toy burst open, spilling gel onto her hand, according to her mother. The incident has raised concerns about the safety of such toys, especially as a dangerous trend of microwaving them to soften them has caused severe burns in other children.
Incident Details
Rene Barnard, 46, from Telford, Shropshire, said her daughter Livi was playing with the £12.99 NeeDoh toy at home on Monday when the seal broke and the liquid inside leaked onto her hand. Despite immediately running her hand under cold water, blisters began to form. Barnard called 111 and took Livi to Princess Royal Hospital in Telford.
Medical Response
After consulting with Birmingham Children’s Hospital, Livi’s wounds were dressed and she was sent home. She returned the next day to have the blisters removed under gas and air. She now requires daily visits to the doctor for re-dressing of her wounds while they heal.
Barnard described the ordeal: “She came in from school on Monday and it was on the kitchen side. She loves this NeeDoh. We came in and I was cooking dinner and she said 'mum, the liquid’s come out and it’s burnt my hand'. I Googled it and it said it was non-toxic so I thought it was fine. But every time she took her hand out of the cold water she was in pain. She is a tough tomboy seven-year-old, so when she said it hurt, I knew something was wrong.”
Hospital Observations
At the hospital, other doctors and parents expressed concern. Barnard noted: “People were coming in, doctors with children, to have a look and saying they will tell their wives to bin them [NeeDoh toys]. I’ll be keeping them separate in temperatures like we’ve had and keep them in the fridge. All the kids are playing with them at the moment. If this was a toddler it could have been really serious - thankfully Livi’s nine-year-old brother is not interested in the toys.”
Distributor Response
Bigjigs Toys, the exclusive UK distributor for NeeDoh (made by US firm Schylling), said it is investigating the incident. A spokesperson stated: “We take all issues like this very seriously but we are aware of a number of fake products on the market so we have to determine if this was a real NeeDoh.”
