Another toy to take off the list.

[Sandcass]

This has to be one of the stupidest things I've heard in a while. What the heck does she think a choking hazard means? Of COURSE choking on small objects can cause severe injury or death! No toy is designed to be swallowed, but that's not going to stop toy companies from making toys with small pieces. Did she not notice that her son's set had small pieces that came off? Unfortunately this is a freak accident, and could have been prevented had the two-year old not been playing with his brothers building set. It's very sad, and I feel horrible for that family, but I don't think the toy company is to blame here.

I agree. They are not for 2 year olds. How tragic that this happened, but they are a fantastic toy for children who know better than to swallow them. I hope they're not pulled off the shelf.

 

[momof2inPA]

I checked with my co-workers a little while ago and one of the other nurses just triaged a 2yo who got two of these magnets stuck on either side of his lower lip and the parents could not pull them apart. They're off to the ED now, screaming all the way...

Oh come on.. They aren't that strong. If a person couldn't pull them apart, you could never build anything else with them. My kids have them. They are a fun toy, and you can stick two on opposite sides of your fingertip and have them stay put for a few seconds.

You know, I just thought about something. Maybe they are making the magnets stronger in the new sets. The newest sets seem to have parts covered in pretty thick plastic, and I bet the magnets have to be strong to work through the plastic. Maybe if the plastic breaks and the magnets get out, they really are strong. I'll look closer. That would make the lip thing kind of possible, but the intestine thing would still be a freak accident, IMO.

 

[TurboKitty]

I am so glad this story came to light. I do not place blame the toy company. I do not place blame on the parents.

I had NO IDEA magnets could cause such damage. If I told you the ages of my kids, you'd think they were past it being a concern. I'd think you were very mistaken, as my eight year old DD is about at the mental and social level of a three year old, on a good day.

I need to pay attention to what she puts into her mouth. She seems to savor pillbugs (ewwww-shudder!) and styrofoam peanuts. I'd hate to think what she might also like, if I'm not watching.

I know there are other parents who've responded here with special needs kids. Don't make them play that card, in their gratitude for this story coming to light.

The toy doesn't need to be pulled off the shelf, but HELLO?! We did and do need to know the potential danger of tiny magnets and magnetic toys.


BTW, why so much venom here lately? And, not just from the usual suspects?

 

[teacherforhi]

The toy doesn't need to be pulled off the shelf, but HELLO?! We did and do need to know the potential danger of tiny magnets and magnetic toys.

The box is clearly marked as a choking hazard. It doesn't matter if it has magnets or not...don't swallow them.

As far as the magnets getting stuck on a lip, I have a hard time believing that. If the magnets are that strong, how would you ever build anything with them?

I have purchased several sets of these for my class and they're incredibly popular. I've never had any of the little magnets fall off and I know they've tried putting them on opposite sides of their hands and the magnets would hold.

 

[becker1123]

This is good to know, but it's really just a reminder, that, let's face it, we all need from time to time, to use common sense in choosing toys for our kids.

 

[TurboKitty]

The box is clearly marked as a choking hazard. It doesn't matter if it has magnets or not...don't swallow them.

As far as the magnets getting stuck on a lip, I have a hard time believing that. If the magnets are that strong, how would you ever build anything with them?

I have purchased several sets of these for my class and they're incredibly popular. I've never had any of the little magnets fall off and I know they've tried putting them on opposite sides of their hands and the magnets would hold.

Right, let me spell it out.

I have a kid well within the Autism Spectrum Disorder. She's works on about the level of a 3 year old, even though she's now 8. She's almost completely non-verbal and also has a touch of pica.

Pica, that thing where they eat things that aren't food.

I truly had NO IDEA magnets could pose a problem until now.

I am not so much worried about choking hazards, though I do still pay attention....


And, believe what you will. Others have written they are inside a wall of plastic. The small magnet exposed could well be stronger than intended.

I'll be keeping an eye on ALL small magnets around my daughter now, whereas before, I didn't except for choking. That has now changed, and I am grateful for the heads up.

Most especially because I also have a typically devolping 11 year old son. If he gets a toy like this, it will be confined to his room. The one with an outside lock requiring a key.

 

[jamzots]

My ds's have these and with the new baby-6 months you can believe the toy is going in the garbage. DS'S leave everything laying around, and even they at 8 and 13 put everything in their mouths still to this day.

 

[shortbun]

My ds's have these and with the new baby-6 months you can believe the toy is going in the garbage. DS'S leave everything laying around, and even they at 8 and 13 put everything in their mouths still to this day.

Yeah, I find my 10yo with things in his mouth all the time. It's about the only time I take toys from him. "If they are in your mouth, they are mine." is the rule around here. We have a few kits of these magnetic toys. He rarely plays with them anymore; I'm going to find them and inspect them. Good heads up. Sad story.

 

[Cindy B]

Oh come on.. They aren't that strong. If a person couldn't pull them apart, you could never build anything else with them. My kids have them. They are a fun toy, and you can stick two on opposite sides of your fingertip and have them stay put for a few seconds.

You know, I just thought about something. Maybe they are making the magnets stronger in the new sets. The newest sets seem to have parts covered in pretty thick plastic, and I bet the magnets have to be strong to work through the plastic. Maybe if the plastic breaks and the magnets get out, they really are strong. I'll look closer. That would make the lip thing kind of possible, but the intestine thing would still be a freak accident, IMO.

Yes the magnets are incredibly strong so you can build the structures. Some of the newest ones are incredibly strong.

 

[Bob Slydell]

My ds's have these and with the new baby-6 months you can believe the toy is going in the garbage. DS'S leave everything laying around, and even they at 8 and 13 put everything in their mouths still to this day.

Our 5 year old has them (it's one of his favorite toys) and we have a 7 month old, but we have no plans of getting rid of DS' Magnetix. We'll make sure that none of the pieces are broken, like in this tragic story, but otherwise, we'll just keep an eye on both our 7 month old and DS' toys.

 

[minkydog]

The box is clearly marked as a choking hazard. It doesn't matter if it has magnets or not...don't swallow them.

As far as the magnets getting stuck on a lip, I have a hard time believing that. If the magnets are that strong, how would you ever build anything with them?

It is not my job to make you believe. Obviously this is a toy meant for older children. Those of us who have younger children or children who put small items in their mouths are well-warned about supervising this toy. Small children will put the darndest things in their mouths(I sent one to the ED just last night for swallowing her sitter's ring--it was stuck in her throat. Guess they coulda used one of these magnets, huh

 

[cardaway]

I checked with my co-workers a little while ago and one of the other nurses just triaged a 2yo who got two of these magnets stuck on either side of his lower lip and the parents could not pull them apart. They're off to the ED now, screaming all the way...

Only rare earth magnets are that strong, and no toy is make with those.

Sad story but the parents only have themselves to blame.

Small parts = not for young kids (magnets or no magnets) How is that not obvious?

 

[bengalbelle]

Our 5 year old has them (it's one of his favorite toys) and we have a 7 month old, but we have no plans of getting rid of DS' Magnetix. We'll make sure that none of the pieces are broken, like in this tragic story, but otherwise, we'll just keep an eye on both our 7 month old and DS' toys.

DS (almost 5) is getting some for Christmas. They just finished learning about magnets in Pre-K so we thought it would be a good gift. I have no plans to return it, even though we are hoping to have another child soon. We may put them in a cabinet so he would have to ask for them and could play under adult supervision.

OP, I do appreciate the warning. Every time I buy a toy with small pieces I think of the choking hazard, but I don't know that I would have thought about the magnets actually falling out. We will be more cautious.

Now a question about the toy. This is an assumption from what I'm reading here - but are these are much stronger than average magnets? I know DS's refrigerator letters have occasionally lost their magnets and I never thought about something as tragic as this happening.

 

[AnaheimGirl]

Nowhere in the article does it say that the boy was playing with the toy. It only says that

somehow the magnets that were encased in plastic pieces came loose and Kenny swallowed them.

Why are so many people so quick to assume that the boy was playing with the toy? The magnets are tiny and could have easily fallen out unnoticed. I find it hard to believe that everyone here knows exactly what tiny little items are laying around their house, in places the vacuum doesn't reach, but a little hand might.

I told my dh about this last night and he said that one of the magnets fell out of my dd's set once, too, and he popped it back in.

TurboKitty, I'm with you. I don't blame the toy company, nor the parents. I'm glad to learn of the hidden danger from all magnets, and very, very sad for the family.

 

[Microcell]

My goodness! Guess which toy just went out with the trash!

 

[AnaheimGirl]

Now a question about the toy. This is an assumption from what I'm reading here - but are these are much stronger than average magnets? I know DS's refrigerator letters have occasionally lost their magnets and I never thought about something as tragic as this happening.

Those in my dd's set don't seem to be any stronger than a decent refrigerator magnet, but her set is several years old. Someone thought maybe they are stronger in the newer sets, which is possible, I don't know. Also, though, they are mostly encased in plastic, which might diminish their strength when the toy isn't broken. Maybe they're stronger than they seem when out of that plastic.

 

[momof2inPA]

Nowhere in the article does it say that the boy was playing with the toy. It only says that
Why are so many people so quick to assume that the boy was playing with the toy? The magnets are tiny and could have easily fallen out unnoticed. I find it hard to believe that everyone here knows exactly what tiny little items are laying around their house, in places the vacuum doesn't reach, but a little hand might.

When my kids were babies, I could confidently say there were no choking hazards they could reach. I made sure of that. Plus, my kids stopped putting things in their mouths at an early age. They were done with that by age 2, I'm sure.

 

[momof2inPA]

It is not my job to make you believe. Obviously this is a toy meant for older children. Those of us who have younger children or children who put small items in their mouths are well-warned about supervising this toy. Small children will put the darndest things in their mouths(I sent one to the ED just last night for swallowing her sitter's ring--it was stuck in her throat. Guess they coulda used one of these magnets, huh

My husband wondered if they would just attach to the scalpel if the doctor had to cut one out. He also wondered if kids that swallowed them would stick to the fridge, which would have been funny if a child had not actually died.

 

[Bob Slydell]

Now a question about the toy. This is an assumption from what I'm reading here - but are these are much stronger than average magnets? I know DS's refrigerator letters have occasionally lost their magnets and I never thought about something as tragic as this happening.

Yeah, they're pretty strong. I wouldn't have imagined they would be strong enough to close an intestine, but you only have to have one of the sticks within a few inches of the balls or other sticks and they'll pick them up.

I've never seen the magnets in the sticks fall out -- it's not something that could easily happen, as someone mentioned. A stick would have to be broken or bitten or something to release the magnet.

 

[AnaheimGirl]

I've never seen the magnets in the sticks fall out -- it's not something that could easily happen, as someone mentioned. A stick would have to be broken or bitten or something to release the magnet.

Actually not. My dh told me last night one fell out in my dd's set once, just while they were playing with them. No biting, bending, etc.