What you need to know about the dangers of water beads to children

It’s another example of a new product being sold to kids before it’s evaluated for safety.

Water beads, which are often marketed as toys or sensory aids for children, are small, super-absorbent gel balls that, when placed in water, grow in size. If ingested by children, water beads can grow to dangerous sizes in the body.

While some countries have banned water beads, they’re still widely available in the United States and sold by dozens of manufacturers.

Consumer Reports, a testing and advocacy organization, has conducted tests on several brands of water beads and documented how much they can expand.

“It’s alarming that water beads are being marketed as safe and sold as if nothing is wrong with them, leading parents to unknowingly put their children at risk,” said William Wallace, associate director of safety policy at Consumer Reports.

The federal government should ban water beads or at least set strong limits on them so they can’t be sold as children’s products, Wallace said, adding retailers and online platforms should stop selling them immediately, and contact previous buyers to warn them about the risks. 

The expanding beads have found their way into the stomachs, intestines, ears, noses, and lungs of infants and toddlers, even though the beads are often purchased for older siblings, according to a Consumer Report’s investigation.

Often, doctors may not easily or quickly detect the beads if they end up in a young child’s stomach. The ingested water beads can contribute to hearing loss, infections, bowel obstructions requiring surgical removal of intestines, blocked airways that can lead to lung collapse, and death. 

In July 2023, 10-month-old Esther Jo Bethard, died after swallowing water beads.

Water beads can start as tiny as a cupcake sprinkle and grow to the size of a marble when soaked in water. Others, the size of small grapes, grow to golf-ball size. Beads can roll under furniture or get stuck under baseboards or in a carpet. A baby can find and eat one or more months to years after someone has played with them. 

Consumer Reports advises consumers to:

• Avoid having water beads in the home if children or cognitively impaired adults are ever present.
• Use room temperature, digestible food, such as rice, beans, pasta, or peas, for sensory play.
• Put the beads, if they’ve been recall, in a tightly sealed container, in a secure location out of sight and out of reach, until you’ve returned them or completed the recall instructions.
• Throw the beads away immediately if they haven’t been recalled.

Last week, Consumer Reports launched a petition asking the Consumer Product Safety Commission to stop the sale of water beads for kids and issue recalls for those already on the market.