A pediatric emergency doctor indicated, in an Instagram video, the five gifts for children to avoid, at the risk of putting their health at risk.
Every year, the same cases resurface! For Dr. Meghan Martin, an emergency physician in the pediatric department at Johns Hopkins All Children’s Hospital in St. Petersburg, certain toys have regularly affected the health of young children in recent years. In her Instagram video, popular with more than 110,000 Internet users, the health professional reviewed the five children’s games to be banned urgently.
For Dr Meghan Martin, it is undeniable: “All toys equipped with a button cell are dangerous for children,” she said in her Instagram post. “The compartments are often closed with cheap screws, they can literally kill your children. We encounter cases every year”, she added. Not to mention the battery itself, which, “once ingested, releases a chemical reaction, such as bleach would do”, indicates Doctor Estelle Aubry, surgeon at the Jeanne de Flandre hospital in Lille.“This can lead to a continuous burn with a risk of very serious injuries up to the death of the child,” she clarified. So move on.
Another danger: “water beads”, these round beads made of hydrophilic polymers, sometimes sold in the toy section as sensory accessories, but which can also be used as decorative objects or more rarely as growing media. Either way, toddlers love it. Dr Meghan Martin warns parents about the use of these water pearls: “As they are small beads, children can ingest them and these can cause intestinal obstructions.” The government website also warns: “These water pearls can significantly increase in volume several hours after ingestion, and thus cause occlusion. The most serious cases may require major surgery and are sometimes fatal in the absence of medical treatment”. You will have understood, to avoid!
If you are tempted to give a gift to an older child, avoid electric scooters at all costs, which represent real walking dangers: “Children go way too fast on these machines”says Dr. Meghan Martin. “They can roll over a bump, fly through the air, damage their face, arms, legs or head.” Knowing that there are models for walking around the house as well as other more efficient versions for teenagers, the expert strongly advises against getting children used to this type of vehicle from a very young age.
To avoid the risk of injury, hoverboards should be avoided. According to an American study, 36 children are seen in the emergency room every day following a hoverboard accident. “We encounter a lot of cases of injuries after using hoverboards,” says Dr. Meghan Martin. “Patients often have broken forearms or elbows, sometimes it’s even the head that is affected,” she adds. 11-13 year olds are most affected by hoverboard accidents, with a higher percentage among boys. Also note that falls occur more often at home rather than outside.
Finally, the children’s game with the most injuries is none other than the trampoline. “I hate trampolines”says Dr. Meghan Martin. “They literally keep the emergency services and the orthopedic team going,” she declared, adding that “it doesn’t matter if you have a protective net” Or “if it is buried in the ground”, because unfortunately, “Most injuries happen on the trampoline.” Another doctor working in pediatric emergencies in a hospital in the North confirms: “It can be extremely painful, to the point of having to give morphine to children.” A study carried out between 2008 and 2016 showed that trampoline accidents have increased eightfold in ten years. To meditate.