Hi All,
I just wanted to let all you parents know about the dangers of these 'toys'...they are called BuckyBalls and they are VERY strong round little magnets the size of BB's.
My in-laws bought each one of my kids a set (there are like 40ish to a pack) for Christmas. Granted they are wicked fun but even though I saw a warning on TV about the dangers of kids swallowing them, I allowed my kids (17, 8, 6 & 4) to play with them. I talked with my 2 youngest about the fact that they could NEVER EVER swallow them or they would have to go to the hospital...but I neglected to inform the other older two boys b/c I just assumed they would know better....
Well yesterday my 8y/o came up and informed me that he was playing with them and threw a few of them up in the air and caught them in his mouth and just swallowed them! I never imagined my 8y/o would do such a thing but he is a kid and all us parents know that sometimes kids do things for reasons even they do not know!
After a quick (and admittedly panicked) call into his doctors office we were off to our nearest children's hospital, like ASAP!
Luckily for us, my son swallowed all 6 of his already stuck together! The danger comes when they come apart or are swallowed individually and then they try to re-attach or come back together, pinching parts of their intestines in between the magnets, thus creating a hole...which would require a whole lot of complicated surgery and in bad cases removal of parts of their intestines, resulting in the child needing to wear a colostomy bag (sp?)for the rest of their lives!!!!
Thankfully the doctors were able to go in through my son's mouth and retrieve them instead of having to cut him open...but he still needed to be put under, which is scary enough, right??
My son is fine. But it was a close call, too close!
Very scary!
So, if you guys have these...please, please, please be VERY mindful of them! Dangerous stuff! My son is a very bright child and I wouldn't have assumed in a million years that he would do something like swallow them... but he did!
~The doctor that did the surgery told us that they see this all the time and that my son wasn't even the first boy this week to have been there and had to have them removed! I asked and the majority of kids they see for this was boys...imagine that?!
Love this site and just wanted to give all you guys a heads up! Inserting mandatory question here--->Even if you have already seen or heard about the dangers of these little magnets, hearing it again can't hurt, right?!
Karma
Someone said they were sure my in-laws would be hearing about this and I wont be giving my in-laws a hard time about it at ALL. It really isn't their fault, they bought them in the children's section of their local bookstore...and I have no ill-will towards them about this what so ever. It was MY fault! I am the one that disregarded the warning on the package, I am the one that disregarded the warning I saw on TV and I am the one that failed to talk to my 8y/o about the dangers! They were just trying to be good grandparents by getting all the boys something cool. My FIL told us all about how he had a LOT of fun playing with them at the store when they bought them...and they are fun, we ALL had tons of fun 'playing' with the 'NOT TOY' since the boys got them!
Just FYI you do not need to order them online...I personally have seen them at our local bookstore in the kid section and at our local hobby store as well as in our local 'smart-kid store' called Wiz Kidz. So as far as them not being a toy, they sure are marketed towards kids.
Thank you for the heads up. I was looking at them in the mall and was considering them as fun toys. Now I know it's not really worth the danger. Thanks again!
This same situation was on an episode of House once. lol. It's not something you would think about unless someone points out the danger.
I love magnetic toys, but I don't think I will be getting them for my DD if they are THAT strong!
Thank you so much for sharing your story with us. You never know, you could save a life by posting this!
Yea, when they first came out, there were a few moms on here with the same results..
I bet your son will not do anything like that again.
It is not the grand parents fault, it is the sons fault for not playing with them properly.. He is just a kid and had no idea how dangerous this could be.. Just like all of the other things they will eventually try at some point.. He was just not as lucky this time.
Good reminder to all of us.. Don't put things in your mouth that do not belong there.
Wow, so good to know this, thank you. I'm glad your boy is OK!
SO glad that your son is okay, and didn't need major surgery!!
I'm very glad your son is ok, and didn't need the major surgery...
Several years ago my son, who is now 20, wanted those for Christmas..... I flat out said no, since we frequently had my grandson (now 4 1/2) over at the house... and my grandson and his parents have lived with us 2 different times, for 8 months at a time....
I didn't want to risk Gavin getting them in his mouth, either...... they can be VERY dangerous, as you found out!
wow glad he's ok.
Bucky balls aren't really toys for kids at all. I'm sorry someone got them for your children. They do have a "for adults only" warning on the website you get them from. It's sad when people ignore warnings like this.
ETA: yes I realize they are available on store shelves but can't imagine that with as many times as it says on their website and any website that sells them that it doesn't say on the packaging "for adults only. "
Thank God your son is ok, how very scary. Thanks so much for taking the time to warn all of us.
Yikes! Thanks for sharing! We won't be allowing those in our house, I've heard too many stories like this about them.
Very happy your son is fine and I'm glad he told you he swallowed them!
Glad your son is OK, and thanks for sharing your story. It's a good reminder to those who already heard this and a cautionary tale to those who haven't. The Magnetix toys have the same risk. Those little magnets are strong so kids have to be careful to not swallow those either.
Wow-times like this you realize that it IS by the grace of God we go. My children have had 'near misses' and they still chill me to the bone when I think of them. Esp when you read about others who have not been so lucky.
Wow! So glad your son is going to be all right!! Praise God!Thanks for the warning too!
A.
yikes!
thanks for the heads up, and so glad this story ended well!
khairete
S.
So glad he will be alright, praise God!
I imagine the in-laws are going to hear it, these are, after all, for adults...and no one could blame you a bit!
Thanks for sharing.
I may be dating myself here just a little, but does anyone else remember the Polly Pockets that had little magnets in their feet and hands? I think some of the "accessories" had magnets too... so they could hold things, etc.
My daughter had a set of those around age 3. It didn't take long before one came out. I guess I am lucky (well, my daughter is)... she either never put them in her mouth or just didn't happen to put the wrong one in her mouth. I noticed not too long after that, that they disappeared from the stores. I never saw any news stories broadcasting a horror story or saying they were unsafe and to take them away from your kids or anything.
I hope there aren't still any of THOSE things in anyone's things that they saved. You know, the bucket of stuff your own kids have outgrown, that you pull out for the kids of friends who drop in, so you have something to entertain them with?
Glad your son is ok.
They are cool toys but they are definitely not for younger kids and it's going to depend on their maturity level.
My 13 yr old loves his (I play with them sometimes) and he's never been a swallower of any of his toys.
Before he got them we discussed the dangers and read about what happened to kids who have eaten them.
Thanks for this. You might save a lot of people untold grief by telling this story. The only thing I thought immediately of is that on the weekend, not nearly as many people see this as they do during the week.
So glad your little guy is okay.
Dawn
Wow, I had no clue these things were still on the market!
Woah! Scary! I can't believe these are even for sale as a "children's" toy! So glad your son is okay. Thanks for the reminder on these.
