If you have a child under age 10, you’re probably familiar with water beads. The most popular brand is Orbeez®. If your child’s school uses them for sensory play or you have them at home, there are serious risks we want you to be aware of.
What Are Water Beads?
Water beads are a type of plastic beads that start out small and hard. When soaked in water, they expand to become squishy and slippery.
They can look very much like candy at first, but they can expand up to 200 times their original size if left in water long enough. Water beads are used in toys and sensory development activities in daycares and schools. They’re also used in stress balls and in vases and floral arrangements for decoration.
Swallowing Risks
Over the past few years, reported cases of kids swallowing water beads have gone up. Toddlers ages 1-2 are the most likely to swallow the beads. If water beads are swallowed, they quickly absorb water from the body and continue to expand. This can block the intestines and require surgery.
There have also been reports of kids putting water beads in their ears. When the beads get wet in the bath or shower and expand, they can cause eardrum damage and hearing loss.
Water beads are also choking hazards, particularly for children under 3 years old.
For these reasons, Cincinnati Children’s has banned all water bead products from our locations. Certain brands of jumbo water beads have been recalled in the United States.
Poisoning Risk
Packaging usually states that water beads are nontoxic, and most of them are. However, some brands contain highly toxic chemicals, such as polyacrylamide or acrylamide. If the toxic beads are swallowed, they could cause any of the following problems:
- Blocking the intestines
- Drowsiness
- Confusion
- Weakness
- Numbness of the hands and feet
Rules for Using Water Beads
We recommend children do not play with water beads at all. If you choose to let your kids play with water beads, use the rules below to help keep everyone safe. Talk to your child’s day care or school and make sure they know these rules as well:
- Only allow kids to use water beads with appropriate adult supervision.
- Only allow kids to play with water beads after the beads have fully expanded following the product instructions.
- Most popular brands of water beads are recommended for kids ages 5 years old and older — children younger than 5 should not play with them.
If you suspect your child has ingested a water bead, contact the Cincinnati Drug and Poison Information Center (DPIC) immediately at 1-800-222-1222. Our team of experts is trained to handle a variety of foreign body ingestions, and each case is handled uniquely depending on the specific situation. Call 911 immediately if your child cannot breathe, has blue lips, or is vomiting after ingesting water beads.
Thank you so much for raising awareness about the dangers of water beads. The label of “non toxic” on products is currently unregulated. It is extremely important for clinicians and parents to be aware of this fact. Water beads can be toxic to children and animals.