Texas Mom Warns Parents About the Dangers of Water Beads After Baby's Emergency Surgery

A Texas mom called for parents to keep water beads away from their children.

Ashley Haugen, 32, a mom of two, woke up one night to find her young daughter, Kipley, vomiting excessively. She immediately knew something was wrong with her baby and took her to the hospital.

Little did she know her 10-month-old daughter would undergo emergency surgery after doctors were left with no other options.

Texas mom shares terrifying experience from water beads

According to TODAY, the Texas mom is on a mission to raise awareness about the hazards of "water beads," small gel-filled balls often used as sensory toys for young children.

Doctors could not determine the cause of Kipley's illness despite performing tests and scans. Surgery was suggested as a last resort. Following the procedure, the surgeon presented Kipley's family with a photograph of the foreign object he removed from Kipley's digestive tract.

To Ashley's horror, she recognized it as the water beads the family had purchased as a birthday gift for their six-year-old daughter, Abigail. The beads had been intended for adult-supervised play only.

When doctors found the water beads lodged in Kipley's small intestine, they attempted to remove them, but some broke apart during the process.

The surgeon informed Ashley that his instruments could not penetrate the waterproof material, so they had to perform a full abdominal incision to remove it.

UC Davis Children's Hospital also issued a warning about the dangers of water beads.

The sensory toys are often used to develop fine motor skills and for sensory play, but they pose a choking hazard and can cause intestinal blockages if accidentally ingested.

Despite the potential hazards, water beads are still widely used as sensory toys for young children.

The dangers and toxins in water beads

Kipley, the 10-month-old girl who ingested water beads and had to undergo surgery to remove them, had to spend about a week recovering in the hospital.

However, after returning home, her mother noticed her daughter was not acting like her usual self. Over the course of a few weeks, it became clear to Haugen that something was wrong with Kipley.

Concerned for her daughter's health, the Texas mom sought out another pediatrician to help them.

Kipley was diagnosed with toxic brain encephalopathy caused by acrylamide monomer exposure. A developmental pediatrician made the diagnosis sometime after her daughter's emergency surgery.

Dr. Elizabeth Friedman, the medical director of environmental health at Children's Mercy in Kansas City, explained that acrylamide is a neurotoxin that is supposed to be neutralized when polymerized.

The Water Bead Lady, a website dedicated to educating people about the potential dangers of water beads, confirmed that Haugen's daughter was severely injured and poisoned by the beads.

Since 2017, Haugen, along with her husband Jonathan and their daughters Abigail and Kipley, have made it their mission to prevent this tragedy from happening to other families.