Girl,3,swallows 37 magnetized steel balls.

Jodi - posted on 03/10/2012

okay, i can say I wouldn't leave these magnets on my fridge, I don't leave any magnets on my fridge for this reason. (Then again, I have one year olds!) I would trust my 3 year old to not put them in her mouth, but I still don't think I would just let them out. That being said, that's me, while it's obvious that the magnets should have been put away, I can see how a parent wouldn't suspect their 3 year old of putting something in their mouth. I can't remember the last time Jaelyn put something in her mouth that wasn't edible or a whistle or something. It was a horrible mistake, I'm sure the parents feel aweful, and I still don't think they should be judged too harshly, everyone makes mistakes afterall! (Except of course those people who throw that first stone! lol j/k)

Sherri - posted on 03/10/2012

Hmmmm I honestly have never specifically talked to them about eating magnets. I have always told them only food goes in their mouths so if it was obviously not food to me it was covered by the non food in the mouth talk. Although I never really had kids especially by three that put random things in their mouths.

Daniela - posted on 03/10/2012

Perfect babyproofing is impossible! We live in a mobile home - good luck babyproofing that. Windows? Not possible. Kettle, Toaster? Within reach. Electric Cables? We are trying our best. And no. My 2.5 year old is not always within my sight. And then there was the time when she slipped in the bath and fell face down into the water with me only a few steps away or the time we went on the slide together when she was 18 months old and her little leg got dragged under mine. Didn't walk for 2 weeks after. A dad accidently broke his little boys leg on the same playground a few months later doing exactly the same thing. There are a few more, black eye included...

April - posted on 03/10/2012

I know a lot of 3 year olds that still put things in their mouths,random things. My son (3) still does it once in a blue moon. I tell him all the time that magnets are dangerous for our bodies. He has never put one in his mouth, but I've heard of kids having their intestines all warped from swallowing those things. For me it is the same as teaching your kids about stranger danger or not to play with matches.

Krista - posted on 03/10/2012

Sherri makes a good point. It's one thing if the child is a baby -- at that point you expect them to be putting things in their mouth. But at age three? It could very well be that the child hadn't put non-food items in their mouth in AGES, prompting the parents to ease off on the babyproofing.

Janice - posted on 03/10/2012

Oh, ok. I didnt follow the second link. Sorry.

Teresa - posted on 03/10/2012

Thanks Kate.

Kate CP - posted on 03/10/2012

You have to follow the link to a second, related article that states the magnets were, in fact, on the fridge.

Sherri - posted on 03/10/2012

Even if that was the case who in there right mind would ever think a 3yr old would eat them. I certainly wouldn't have and may have even done the same.

Teresa - posted on 03/10/2012

Where did you get that information from?

Tabitha - posted on 03/10/2012

Janice the magnets were on the fridge. The parents put them there.

Kimberly - posted on 03/10/2012

Well said janice. I also didn't ready anywhere that these magnets were on the fridge! Even if they were on the fridge people aren't perfect and we all make mistakes and looking back we are like "OMG, did I really do that?" I really hate when people jump to conclusions and make judgements off of assumptions. Until you have all the facts keep your negativity to yourself! Just saying! It's called KARMA.

Janice - posted on 03/10/2012

Elizabeth, the magnets weren't on the fridge. They are an adult desk toy and they are each the size of a tic tac so she could have swallowed all of them in 1-2 gulps.

Elizabeth - posted on 03/10/2012

I think the parents for sure need to take some blame for their child swallowing 37 magnets! WHY were those on the fridge anyway? My kids have received toys that are not age appropriate or seem harzardous and guess what? I get rid of it or put it away until they are older. Some people don't have common sense when it come to hazards like that. The amount the child swallowed means that she was eating the magnets for some time. Yes, it is difficult to watch your child every monent of the day but if your child was able to swallow 37 magnets then you as a parent were not being attentive enough!

Kimberly - posted on 03/09/2012

OMG! If any of you are perfect parents, show me the Perfect Parent award that you must have hanging on your wall. There is no way to watch a child 24/7. (I noticed someone thinks there are 27 hours in a day! Really you are stating an opinion?) Any way! Yes the magnets should have been put up. Some people just don't know the danger that goes along with magnets. I think we can all agree that most people know how dangerous guns can be but I bet there are a lot of people that don't know what magnets can do inside the human body. As far as the girl having enough time to swallow that many magnets, these magnets are tiny and if she picked them up while attached it is possible she swallowed them all at one time. Kind of like swallowing a necklace. If you have other kids it's hard to make sure every little thing is picked up and they can get into everything even while you have your eyes on them. And for those of you questioning the x-ray----- yes that is a human x-ray and as for it being a circle I have seen some strange stuff so yes its possible to look that way on the x-ray.

~♥Little Miss - posted on 03/09/2012

Kelly "Another time, when he was 10 months old, he was sitting in my lap when a green tree spider swung down in front of us on a string of web. He reached right out and ate it! He was IN MY LAP!! There was nothing I could do--I pried his little mouth open, but it was already down. The Dr. got a good giggle out of that one too--tree spiders are harmless if eaten. "



I officially hate you for sharing that story.

Kate CP - posted on 03/09/2012

Some one gave my daughter (6) something called "Squinkies" for her birthday...can I just say that as a mom to a 1 year old these things are the bane of my frickin' existence? :/

Teresa - posted on 03/08/2012

My dad bought my girls a box of 1000 beads for their birthday one year (turning 8). When their brother was ONE (almost 2)!! Yeah, um.... you wanna know how many times I fished beads out of that boy's mouth? And he wasn't even a 'mouthy' kid. After a while we (the girls and I) just started throwing away/vacuuming up all the beads and they were made very well that if anyone bought them beads again they wouldn't be allowed to open the box. It was crazy and impossible to keep track of!

Rebecca - posted on 03/08/2012

I agree, Sherri. I live in constant fear that one of the baby twins is going to fall into a toilet and drown. My 4 YOs have to be able to access the bathroom, yet they are 4 and don't always remember to put the toilet seats down or close the door. All it takes is for me to be changing one baby while the other is toddling into the bathroom with an open toilet for tragedy to strike.

Sherri - posted on 03/07/2012

@Tabitha it also is not as easy to keep little things away from young ones especially when you have kids of multiple ages. I have kids from 15 to newborn and it is hard to keep matchbox cars, legos etc away from the little ones. So yes it is much easier said then done even with the best of intentions.

Jodi - posted on 03/07/2012

dang, I don't think there's room above the top of my drawers and the bottom of the counter tops. :( That's a brilliant idea though.

Tabitha - posted on 03/07/2012

Actually i never said myself that they were stupid or neglectful that was just a statement to start a conversation, not something i myself would say about these parents. And the padlock i have for the knives is a keypad one. I bolted another handle straight above the existing one, and this was after my son got a hold of one of my butcher knives and took off running(see i know it happens)! You pick out a code and just punch it in. The one for the chemicals is just a standard one with a key.

Jodi - posted on 03/07/2012

Tabitha, while I get that you're trying to raise awareness of keeping our children safe, there was absolutely nothing in the article to lead us to believe that these were even ingested their own home. She was sick for 3 days, perhaps it happened outside of the home. Perhaps they were locked away, and she managed to get in anyways. Kids are crafty. Even falls from chairs are preventable. I myself, consider this story an unfortunate accident until information comes to light that the parents left these things down, well within her sight and reach unsupervised for a period of time.



Can I ask how you padlock a drawer? I don't think I could padlock mine, but since I have a knife drawer, and would love to not have my knives stored in the basement, this is an interesting idea.

Kelly - posted on 03/07/2012

Tabitha, I think "inattention" was actually a very good word. I think the words that caused the uproar, and may have warped our perception of your post, were "neglect" and "stupidity". Those words are a bit harsh for a single accident.



This could have very easily happened to very diligent parents. The balls could have been in dad's office and she could have wandered in during the moment he stepped out to grab a drink in the kitchen. I know my husband doesn't lock his office when he is just walking across the house for a second. They could have belonged to a teenage visitor who left them behind without thinking about the dangers they pose to a young child--most teens wouldn't be aware. There are hundreds of ways this could have happened that don't involve neglect or stupidity. I agree with you that is was a very serious accident, but I don't think they are stupid or neglectful.

Tabitha - posted on 03/07/2012

ok guys my point of this post is not shaming mothers whose children have had unfortunate accidents. My point is to keep things that are unsafe in a locked cabinet or out of reach of any young child. And don't say it is impossible to do. I keep a padlock on my knife drawer and padlock all chemicals also. I tape the key to the back of the fridge. Anything with small pieces is kept in my bedroom which has a key bolt on the top corner. Call me crazy but i keep all unsafe items away from my child. That's not to say that he hasn't tripped and hit his head on the corner of the table. Or fell off of a chair, or put a penny in his mouth when he was a baby. He has done all of that and more! But it isn't an accident if what this child put in his mouth instead of magnets was floor cleaner, or anti-freeze. Think about it, these can be easily prevented and are not in the same category as falling off a chair he was climbing or having him out of your sight for a few minutes. That is not what i am saying at all. If i did its not what i intended to say. Maybe inattention is the wrong word to use...maybe it should be prevention. Baby proof your house it can save your child!

Johnny - posted on 03/06/2012

Oh, Kelly, those are priceless!!

Kelly - posted on 03/06/2012

She probably swallowed them in the shape of the circle already--they are actually really difficult to pry apart, and 37 in a little ring like that would not have been much larger than a silver dollar coin. They are polarized (is that the word? They have negative and positive sides) so when they are linked together in a line like that, they stay formed that way--have any of you played with these? They really are quite cool, but definitely for adults.



Speaking of the soy bean, when J was a toddler, I think he was maybe 2yrs old, I had him in the bathtub and he sneezed. A sweet pea rolled out of his nose. This was especially concerning at the time because he hadn't eaten peas in at least 3 days! Somehow, he shoved it up his nose, and managed to go 3 days without anyone noticing!

Worried about germs and bacteria growing in his nose, I immediately rushed him to the Dr, where they got a good laugh and assured me there was no harm done.



Another time, when he was 10 months old, he was sitting in my lap when a green tree spider swung down in front of us on a string of web. He reached right out and ate it! He was IN MY LAP!! There was nothing I could do--I pried his little mouth open, but it was already down. The Dr. got a good giggle out of that one too--tree spiders are harmless if eaten.

MeMe - Raises Her Hand (-_-) (Mommy Of A Toddler And Teen) - posted on 03/06/2012

Wow, I would have never thought of doing that. I can see how it would be an idea, actually, if you hadn't warned me against it and someone had suggested it, I just may have attempted it! Man, nothing like feeling in a prison eh'? LOL



Thanks for the tip... ;)



We are trying to teach him how to use the stairs but, oh boy, that scares the crap out of me. Then he has so much more space to go.... I think I will just tie him up and throw him in with his sister (who I will tie up too). Let them out when they are 18! hahaaha

Jodi - posted on 03/06/2012

Can I just suggest, not even putting a second gate ABOVE the first one...very dangerous to fall off of...we learned that the hard way. :( (although a million and ten people reccomended it to us.)

MeMe - Raises Her Hand (-_-) (Mommy Of A Toddler And Teen) - posted on 03/06/2012

OMG Jodi, you are scaring me!! I guarentee my boy is gonna be just like that. He is going on 17 months and is starting to eye the gates in a very funny way! He has tried climbing them but hasn't gotten far yet. Yep, I will have to move my scissors and steak knives, real soon. He is still too short and well, the drawers no longer exist (for the time being) but he is also starting to eye the dining room table chairs and those he knows how to push and climb on. We have had to push everything in the cupboards way back, since even though there are locks on them, they still open just enough for him to wiggle his arm in there and try to grab something, anything, that would be "fun"... LOL



I had to give up on the climbing of the couches. I never thought he would but then 3 weeks ago, that was it. He figured out how to push his toys and stand on them to get up. So, I just let him now. He did go over the side one day but that was a great natural conseqeunce. He is much more careful now! hehehee



No need to check for grey hair's here, my teen already gave me a bunch... LOL



Ah kids, they are so funny and keep us going...



ETA:

Need I mention there are 3 able bodies that are watching him. 2 of us only stay on one of the levels of our home with him, it is all gated off. It is baby proofed to the ying yang BUT I will tell you he damn well finds things. Even if it is the lamp. It's all fair game to him!

Jodi - posted on 03/06/2012

Meme, right now, we cut everything with butter knives, our "real" knives are locked in the basement, my scissors are hidden in a locked cabinet, but I'm pretty sure my 3 year old is about to figure out the lock (just your standard bolt lock). It sucks! lol Your son sounds like my oldest was, that's how she figured out how to climb onto the counters, started with opening one drawer to stand on it to grab stuff, then she figured out if she opened 3 of them, and staggered them, she could climb them like stairs!!! She also figured out how to climb over TWO baby gates and has figured out how to unlock our deadbolt and I even cought her climbing the fridge shelves with the door open one time! I check daily for grey hairs!!!!

Johnny - posted on 03/06/2012

When we were in the ambulance going to the hospital after my daughter's febrile seizure (which I am sure someone will come along and blame me for too), there was a call on the radio for a pick-up for a little girl who had a pin and a soy bean up her nose.

MeMe - Raises Her Hand (-_-) (Mommy Of A Toddler And Teen) - posted on 03/06/2012

Yep, shit does happen. I haven't had many things happen (YET) but I have had one or two, here and there with my daughter when she was little. She never put anything in her mouth or hurt herself with anything (that I didn't know about) but she gave me some damn good scares. I was lucky she never bothered with cupboards.



Once, oh god, I feel so bad for this. She was about 4 months old. She was not turning onto her tummy from her back yet. I ran into the kitchen to grab an over boiling pot, left her lying on the couch. Well, didn't she damn well do her first roll over THEN! She rolled right off the couch and wacked the back of her head on our solid wood coffee table. She went white! But was fine.... Yep, it wasn't neglect, it wasn't even stupidity (OK maybe a wee bit stupid on my part, I wouldn't do it again). She never rolled before, not even a little!



Another time, she was about 4. She was in the back seat of the vehicle. She was eating a candy. Didn't she damn well choke on it? I was watching her, I knew what she had. It just happened.



Now, I know my boy is gonna be a heck of a lot more work. We have had to put locks on ALL our cupboards. We have had to remove two drawers from our kitchen counters already (looks like we are missing parts of our cabinets!) because he has learnt he can pull them out, get in them and stand on the sides to grab crap off of the counters! We are always watching him but, it only takes that one sec, I grab something from the fridge and he grabs the scissors or a knife. I mean, I only have 2 other drawers, I have no where else to put my damn stuff! AHHH



This would be so much harder with multiples under age 4 or so... Oh man, I don't know how some of you do it! LOL

Jodi - posted on 03/06/2012

Natalie, my 3 year old can scale the kitchen drawers in no time flat, she can climb my pantry and my closet like a freaking chimp. There is nothing in the article to even imply that these were left out carelessly for her get to. I would wager that these were tucked away somewhere, and she *found* them. 3 year olds are pretty amazing at getting into the most hidden of items, the most out of reach, the most dangerous. Your entire statement is incredibly judgemental and insulting. I could understand your attitude if the articles said "And Mom and Dad gave these to the little girl for her 3rd birthday and let her play with them unsupervised, never checking on her for hours at a time." Funny though, ALL the article says is that the child complained of pain, the parents brought her to the ER. It does not even say whether these things were ingested at their house for goodness sake!



An aweful lot of assumptions being made about a 3 paragraph article that offers very little in terms of the hows or whys.

Rebecca - posted on 03/06/2012

With respect to the issue of the pen, Geneva stuffed a golf ball in her mouth at 6 months. Apparently, she has a retractable jaw because I don't know how she fit that puppy in there!

Rebecca - posted on 03/06/2012

Natalie -- I think you are being unbelievable judgmental. Shit happens. Kids do things that were unexpected. Heck, my 10 month old daughter fell face-first into a bathtub of water Friday night. I was less than two feet away from her (holding her twin brother) and it still happened. Kids do things all the time that parents don't anticipate. I didn't anticipate that a 10 month old could flip herself over the edge of a bathtub and fall in. I'm sure this girls parents didn't recognize the danger from those magnets. Give them a break. I'm sure they feel bad enough already.

Kate CP - posted on 03/06/2012

Have you seen what the magnets are FOR? They're meant for 3D sculpting. So, yes, it is entirely possible and highly probable that they formed a circle in her stomach. Combining that many high powered magnets in a digestive system that's moving and churning will result in odd shapes.

Natalie - posted on 03/06/2012

Okay, after finally figuring out the article you tried to send us to, you're right about one thing. They are small enough to swallow in one big lump. However, had she simply grabbed a handful and swallowed, I really don't believe that they separated and joined back together in the form of a bracelet. And why were they down where she could get to them, with all the large-print warnings on the box?? http://www.thestar.com/news/world/articl...

Kate CP - posted on 03/06/2012

This link actually has 3 photos, one of which is the magnets she swallowed AFTER they were removed. They are in a jar and she's got her hand next to them. You can clearly see that she just grabbed a handful and swallowed.



http://www.thestar.com/news/world/articl...

Jen - posted on 03/06/2012

When I was less than 2, I climbed on top of my mother's dresser (whichwas over 5ft tall (rreally huge thing) and drank a bottle of camphorated oil. I don't remember doing it but my mother was hardly a poor mother. Stuff sometimes happens.



And tiny magnets are not guns and to compare is silly

Teresa - posted on 03/06/2012

Natalie... if you have 3 kids it is physically impossible to keep your eyes on them at all times. WHO is talking about wanting time to themselves?! Stuff happens. It's a fact of life. And for you to not understand that leads me to believe that you have, so far, been extremely lucky in your parenting career.



Heck, my one year old... who I was staring straight at... ate chicken poop at the park before I could get across the 10 or so feet between us. And he was the less mouthy, almost never put anything in his mouth kid. Can you imagine the stuff his older sisters ate? lol

~♥Little Miss - posted on 03/06/2012

Just so you can see how small these things are



http://images.search.yahoo.com/images/vi...

Kate CP - posted on 03/06/2012

"Number 1, the article says her "parents", plural, took her to the hospital. With two of them in the house, I really don't see why they can't manage to watch her. When mine were that age, they were always in the room with me. Even when I went to the bathroom, the door was open and I could see them. I was a single parent. If you want your kids to live through those years and get to an age where you can TELL them what not to do, you make sacrifices and WATCH THEM. I get so tired of people complaining about not having time to themselves. If you wanted so much time for yourself, WHY DID YOU HAVE KIDS????"



Wow. Just. Wow. I am EXTREMELY insulted by this. SHIT HAPPENS, LADY. My daughter lost her tooth because I was on the verge of shitting my pants and couldn't get off the toilet in time to catch her. So I'm a bad mom and I shouldn't have had kids because I didn't rush over to her and grab her and smear feces all over the bathroom in the process? Thanks for that.



Natalie, I suggest you take 37 TicTacs and see how well they fit in a 3 year old's hand. One handful=ONE SWALLOW. She didn't have to sit there for hours and hours swallowing one by one. She probably thought they were candy, grabbed a handful, and gulped it down.

Natalie - posted on 03/06/2012

And for those who say, "all little kids put things in their mouth, it only takes a second," this little girl put 37 things in her mouth....that takes a bit of time.

Natalie - posted on 03/06/2012

Number 1, the article says her "parents", plural, took her to the hospital. With two of them in the house, I really don't see why they can't manage to watch her. When mine were that age, they were always in the room with me. Even when I went to the bathroom, the door was open and I could see them. I was a single parent. If you want your kids to live through those years and get to an age where you can TELL them what not to do, you make sacrifices and WATCH THEM. I get so tired of people complaining about not having time to themselves. If you wanted so much time for yourself, WHY DID YOU HAVE KIDS????

Teresa - posted on 03/06/2012

I had to mark that as funny, Heather. How the heck does a child swallow a pen?! Just the thought makes me want to choke....

Janice - posted on 03/06/2012

Oh my Heather! That is crazy! I feel very lucky that my toddler almost never puts non-food items in her mouth. I really hope my son is the same way since there will be a lot more little objects around my home.

Lady Heather - posted on 03/06/2012

One time I saw a news story about a toddler who swallowed a freaking pen. Like a regular old bic. I don't know about anyone else, but my biggest concern with pens was writing on the walls. I would never expect a kid to eat one. Shit definitely happens.

Janice - posted on 03/06/2012

I'm so glad this little girl is okay! Magnets are sooo dangerous. But accidents happen.

Sometimes children will really surprise you with their skills. My daughter is a bit short for her age and so for a long time just putting something up on the counter or our counter height table was enough. But recently she realized she can bring her stool out of the bathroom and use it to reach things. She also just learned how to open doors. So a parent may believe they put something up or away and the child will prove differently.

Ashley=) - posted on 03/06/2012

Some kids would really put anything in their mouth.She was only 3.I know kids her age and younger who eat sand, grass..anything really.



I remember being with my 7 year old doing arts and crafts and she was so close to the arts material she sucked up to fluffy balls.She was okay but the shock she got was awful.Things can happen when your right there moms.I do feel supervision is important but accidents do happen.We can't keep our eyes on our little ones all the time.