A Florida doctor went viral after warning against the most harmful and dangerous kid’s toys you can buy at Christmas. With parents all over the world looking for the next best Christmas gift to get their kids, there are many options out there that aren’t as safe as you might think.
Meghan Martin, a Florida doctor, recently went viral with 8.1 million views on her Instagram Reel titled “The Top 5 Christmas Gifts that Can Land Your Kid in the ER.”
Button batteries were top on her list as she explained that they are very dangerous for children and choking isn’t the only thing to be worried about here. Nothing with button batteries should be given to a child, according to her.
“You can start having tissue damage within about 15 minutes. Within a couple of hours, it can go all the way through the esophagus into major blood vessels from the esophagus into the airway. This can be life-threatening — and even if you figure it out, sometimes it can be too late,” she said.
Water beads are another popular child’s toy that’s recently gotten a lot of exposure for the risk that it causes to children if ingested. Not only are they a choking hazard but they can cause bad intestinal blockages if they are swallowed.
“But if they’re not expanded and they’re ingested, they can swell in the GI tract and cause things like obstructions or something called an intussusception,” she said, adding that there have been fatalities associated with kids swallowing water beads.
She touched on the fact that motorized hoverboards or electric scooters can be a huge harm to kids as they tend to go fast and kids don’t have a great reaction time. She touches on the fact that helmets do help, but not for the whole body.
“So a helmet does help with head protection, but it doesn’t fully eliminate the risk of injury,” Martin said.
Trampolines are a huge risk, in her opinion, and she has personally seen a lot of injuries come from kids jumping on trampolines. She even states that there was a type of fracture they saw so often from jumping on the trampoline that they named it “the trampoline fracture.”
“Most of the injuries actually happen on the trampoline itself, not actually from falling off,” she said.
The last item on her list was magnets and she explained that they are very dangerous, especially if they are swallowed. Also, any toys with magnets, like magnetic tiles or blocks, should be avoided.
“It’s important to realize that these little magnets can be dangerous, especially when they’re swallowed together. When magnets are swallowed separately, they will find their way together even on the inside of the body”, said Martin.
She ends her video by telling us what she’s getting her kids this year which are dolls, soccer accessories, bikes, and non-motorized scooters. She ends with a note suggesting getting children gifts that will get them outside and moving this holiday season.
