A mother has shared a grave warning after her four-year-old daughter needed an emergency bowel operation.
Hayley Thake took to Facebook to warn other parents about the dangers of magnet toys that burned holes in her daughter’s intestines and bowels.
“Not a post I ever thought I’d write. But I want to warn other parents of the dangers of magnets. I’m sure there have been other posts but sadly I never saw one,” she wrote.
“I will never forgive myself for buying them, but my four-year-old daughter accidentally swallowed two of these magnet balls.
“She’s just undergone surgery to remove them from her bowel.
“Once inside the body the magnets connect to each other with the organ tissue / lining being pinched in between, eventually burning a hole in it. Luckily my daughter told me she had swallowed them so were able to act quickly.”
Hayley further said: “Please please I urge all parents if you have these magnet beads throw them away immediately. Currently in the ward we are on there is a two-year-old who swallowed 14 of them. The consultant said they have so many cases and they should be banned.”
Her post has been shared over 7,000 times in just a day.
The Child Accident Prevention Trust said that there is “a disturbing trend in serious injuries from children swallowing small, round, coloured magnets from magnetic toys.”
The Trust continued: “The magnets stick together internally and through organs and tissues, and can cut off blood supply causing tissue to die. They are much more complex than button batteries to extract.
“The child will need emergency surgery, then, depending on the severity of the injuries, they may need numerous operations, bowel resection and time in paediatric intensive care.”
A spokesperson for CAPT also said: “It’s our understanding that the magnets should be covered by toy safety standards. And magnetic toys made by reputable manufacturers have complied for many years.
“However, it’s very easy to buy these dangerous magnetic toys online, with no guarantees they are safe.”
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Replaced!