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Illinois Fourth-Grader Suffers Second-Degree Burns After Viral Toy Trend Goes Wrong
An Illinois fourth-grader is on the mend after a popular sensory toy, a NeeDoh, caused second-degree burns to his face and hands following a dangerous trend circulating through word of mouth. Nine-year-old Caleb Chabolla was injured late last month after microwaving the toy, which subsequently exploded in his face.
The NeeDoh, described by its manufacturer as a “gratifying super soft, super stretchy dough filled groovy glob,” is a squishy, stress ball-like toy. Caleb, having heard from friends at school about softening the toy in the microwave, attempted the experiment.
“I heard him screaming loudly and saw him take off running toward the bathroom, and he just kept yelling, ‘it burns, it burns,’” recalled Whitney Grubb, Caleb’s mother. She discovered the right side of his face covered in a thick gel, with bright red skin beneath. After initial attempts to wash off the substance proved too painful, Grubb rushed her son to the emergency room.
Caleb was then transferred by ambulance to the Loyola Burn Center, where he spent the night. Doctors performed a “debridement” to clean the burn wounds and remove damaged skin. Due to severe swelling, ophthalmology specialists were also brought in to ensure there was no injury to his eye.
According to Grubb, doctors at Loyola informed her that Caleb was not an isolated incident; they had recently treated four other children with similar burn injuries from microwaved NeeDohs, linking the incidents to a viral trend.
After two weeks of recovery, including daily wound cleanings, Caleb was able to return to school on Wednesday. “His face is looking a lot better,” Grubb stated.
“There are a few spots that are still healing, but the majority of his face is pretty healed over.” He will continue to require vitamin E lotion and sunscreen to protect the healing skin.
“For the most part, Caleb is just happy to be back at school to see his friends, so he’s in better spirits now,” Grubb added.
Grubb is now urging other parents to be aware of the potential dangers of microwaving these types of toys. “It’s hard to micromanage every little thing your kid does, and unfortunately, kids are going to experiment and try things – they don’t know the risks of these kinds of things, and they don’t know how hot things can get in a short amount of time.”