Experts warn popular children's toy could be 'silent killer' with parents urged to remove from home

Experts have issued a warning about popular children's toy, water beads, that can be mistaken for sweets by children, and if ingested can have fatal consequences.

For those who aren't familiar, water beads, which are also commonly known as jelly or gel beads, are small beads which absorb water and expand well above their original size. They are largely used for arts and crafts, as well as sensory purposes.

"Water beads may look harmless, colourful and decorative, but they pose a very real and potentially life-threatening risk, particularly in homes with babies, toddlers and young children," Dr Ross Perry told the Daily Mail.

He went on to say that the appearance of the toys can be 'mistaken for small sweets' - making them appealing for children to put in their mouths, and even swallow.

This is when they become extremely dangerous, as they can 'absorb liquid' and 'expand many times their original size' when inside the body.

Parents are being warned about the dangers of the popular toy (Getty Stock)

This could then lead to 'blockage in the digestive tract' - which could cause a bowel obstruction.

As per Cleveland Clinic, a bowel obstruction is a complete blockage of the bowels, small intestines or big intestines. 'An obstruction blocks your intestinal passageway, slowing movement or grinding digestive processes to a halt,' and 'time is of the essence'.

If surgery is required due to this, the doc tells the outlet that they may not be picked up on X-Rays, due to the fact that they are radiolucent.

As their density is similar to human soft tissue and fluid, X-Rays can pass through them, as per the National Library of Medicine. This can lead to delayed diagnosis of the obstruction. Due to this, the expert described them as a 'silent killer' to the outlet.

The doctor advises those with children or vulnerable adults in their residence 'not to keep the toys at all'.

Instead, he tells the Mail that he advises parents replace or substitute them with 'safer sensory alternatives'.

New regulations have been put in place in the United States (Getty Stock Images)

Alarmingly, research has shown that a number of children are swallowing these objects.

Researchers from the hospital and the Central Ohio Poison Center, found that over 20,000 ingestions of the beads in those under 6 were reported to U.S. poison centers. The study used 2019-2024 data from the National Poison Data System.

In March this year, new rules issued by the U.S. Consumer Product Safety Commission (CPSC) said that water beads that fail to meet federal standards can no longer be sold in the United States. These rules require the toys to come with prominent warning labels, as well as a limit to how much the beads can expand when coming into contact with water.

It's not the first warning that has been issued. In 2024, the The Office for Product Safety and Standards (OPSS) issued a safety alert about the toys in the United Kingdom.

"When swallowed, water beads expand and can block the gastrointestinal passage which can then require surgery. The beads can also cause choking and have harmed children in the UK, with reports linking them to deaths overseas," they penned, echoing that the beads can be difficult to pick up on X-Rays.