A nine-year-old boy is recovering after suffering second-degree burns to his face and hands from a popular toy.
Caleb Chavola, 4th grade in illinoiswas injured late last month when heating NeeDoh in the microwave.
Needo, sensory toys The product, which resembles a stress ball, is described on the company’s website as a “satisfying grooved sphere filled with ultra-soft, highly stretchy fabric.”
Wisconsin mother calls for change after 10-month-old daughter dies after drinking water
After heating the toy in the microwave to soften it, Chabora removed it and began squeezing it, when it hit him in the face.
“I heard my son screaming and I saw him running towards the bathroom, and he just kept screaming, ‘Burn, burn,'” the boy’s mother, Whitney Grubb, told Fox News Digital.
Grubb noticed that the right side of Chavola’s face was covered in a thick gel, with bright red skin underneath. She first tried to wash the substance off, but it hurt so much that she drove her son to the emergency room.
For more health stories, click here
Chavola was eventually taken by ambulance to Loyola Burn Center, where he remained overnight. Doctors “debridge” burn wounds to clean them by removing dead, damaged, or infected skin and debris.
“His eyes were so swollen that they closed, so we also took him to an ophthalmologist to make sure there was no injury to his eyes,” Grubb said.
Loyola doctors told Grubb that they recently treated four other children who suffered burns from heating needles. viral trends On TikTok.
“Caleb had heard about it by word of mouth through a friend at school,” Grubb said.
After two weeks of recovery and daily wound cleaning, Chabora was released. back to school on wednesday.
Click here to sign up for our health newsletter
“His face is looking a lot better,” Grubb said. “There are some areas that are still healing, but most of my face is healing pretty well.”
Vitamin E lotion and sunscreen will still be needed to protect the skin from burns, she added.
“For the most part, Caleb is happy to be back at school and seeing his friends. So he’s doing well now.”
Grab wants to spread this information warn other parents About the potential dangers of putting these types of toys in the microwave.
“It’s hard to micromanage every little thing that kids do. Unfortunately, kids experiment and try things. They don’t know the risks of this kind of thing, and they don’t know how hot things can get in a short amount of time.”
Test yourself with our latest lifestyle quiz
Fox News Digital has reached out to the manufacturer of NeeDoh and the Loyola Burn Center for comment.
