Squishy toys have become one of the biggest crazes among children across the UK, but concerns are growing over how safe they actually are. These items are often marketed as sensory toys, yet an investigation by BBC Morning Live has prompted parents to share concerning situations involving them.
Hospital treatment after toy burst
The BBC spoke to Jodanna Beva, a mum from Bridgend in South Wales, who faced a serious situation when her son woke up in pain and was unable to open his eyes after an incident involving a squishy toy. Her four-year-old son needed hospital treatment after one of these toys she had bought online burst in his face.
While his eyes initially seemed fine after being washed at home, they had completely swollen shut by the next morning and needed specialist help to flush them out. On the BBC programme, the mum said: "He was squishing it by his chest, and it just popped and exploded into his eyes. It had a white, slimy consistency with a little bit of a sandy grain feel to it."
Shein apologises and removes toy
After getting emergency treatment, Jodanna's son made a full recovery, but she claims he is "definitely more sensitive to light" now. The BBC programme reported that Shein, the website where Jodanna bought the toy, has apologised and confirmed that the item (sold via a third party) had been removed from sale, along with other similar products, to "prevent anything like this from happening again".
BBC presenter Sheree Murphy said: "These stories are different but share the same concern. Parents bought what they believed to be legitimate toys, which they thought were safe."
Reporting a dangerous toy
Concerns have previously been raised by UK Trading Standards over unregulated toys. The BBC report claims that "thousands" of toys were removed from shelves by the authority's local branches.
Anyone can report a dangerous or faulty toy to the Trading Standards department of your local council. Take photos or video of the dangerous toy, any damage or injury it caused, and its original packaging (especially the batch code or barcode). If you bought the toy from an online marketplace, you should also report the safety issue directly to its customer service team. Most major platforms are legally obligated to review product safety reports and can issue immediate product takedowns or recalls.
