A 9-year-old boy was seriously injured after trying a viral social media trend involving a popular sensory toy.
On the morning of Jan. 20, Caleb Chabolla was getting ready to leave for school when he attempted to microwave Schylling’s NeeDoh Nice Cube to make the gel-based toy softer, Loyola Medicine said in a news release.
Caleb’s mother, Whitney Grubb, said her son decided to try it after talking with a friend who mentioned the trend. She was in the garage warming up her car when she heard the microwave turn on and assumed Caleb was heating up breakfast.
But soon after, she heard what Loyola described as a “blood-curdling scream” and realized something was wrong. The medical center said Caleb had microwaved the sensory toy, and when he opened the microwave, the object — “filled with gelatinous material” — exploded onto his face and hands.
Grubb attempted to rinse the substance off in the shower, but it didn’t come off. She took him to the emergency room, and he was later transferred to Loyola Medicine’s Burn Center. He also saw an ophthalmologist for an eye injury that left his eye swollen shut.
Loyola Medicine said Caleb’s vision was not impacted and that he is now recovering at home.
The Nice Cube is a “sensory squish is perfect for stretching, smushing, squeezing, and soothing,” according to the official website. The site also includes a warning: “Do NOT heat, freeze, or microwave, may cause personal injury,” it states.
Caleb suffered second-degree burns on one side of his body and on his hands, his mother told CBS News. He is expected to return to school later this week.
Paula Petersen, APN, an advanced practice nurse at the burn center, said in Loyola’s news release that Caleb is “very lucky he didn’t sustain greater injuries.” She added, “These trends can be extremely dangerous for young people who are less likely to consider or unable to understand the serious consequences.”
McElligott said the boy was the fourth child treated at the facility due to the same trend. “A child who heated it up in the microwave, then put her finger on it and her finger went through, and it burned her finger,” McElligott said, according to CBS News.
She told WGN9 that about 30% of their patients are pediatric patients. “I think it’s every day common things in the home that are burning these kids and we want to make sure that parents should be diligent about what’s in their house,” she said, pointing to items such as the toys as well as “ramen noodles coming out of the microwave that kids spill on themselves, or little kids pulling hot coffee off the counter.”
