Hoverboards, fidget spinners and trampolines all topped the list of the most common “unsafe” toys that can send children to the hospital, according to healthcare professionals from around the globe.
The list was compiled by Figure 1, a mobile app that connects millions of healthcare providers from 190 countries, based on the toys that appeared most frequently on the sharing platform by its users.
Figure 1 medical director Dr. Sharon Vorona told CTVNews.ca that medical professionals use the platform to warn each other about the types of injuries they’re seeing because of these toys.
“We wanted to extend that to the general public. Recognizing that it is toy-purchasing season, parents want to buy the perfect toy for their child,” Dr. Vorona said. “We just want people to do it responsibly.”
Here are the toys that are most likely to lead to a trip to the emergency room, according to the app.
1. Hoverboards:
Hoverboards have increased in popularity among children in the last year or so and as a result, medical professionals are seeing more hospital visits from riders falling off the “self-balancing” motorized scooters, Dr. Vorona said.
“We’re seeing fractures as a result of them, sprains, head injuries,” she said.
Figure 1 also said there is concern over the batteries in hoverboards malfunctioning and causing accidents. One user posted a photo of a fractured bone caused by a hoverboard on Figure 1 and said it was the third case they had seen in one week.
2. Fidget spinners:
These trendy toys became all the rage this year with the different varieties popping up all over the place as companies sought to capitalize on the fad. Dr. Vorona said the spinners can be dangerous for children because they’re often poorly constructed.
“There are pieces that will frequently fall off,” she said. “Children often will hold them above their heads to look at them in the light or they will balance them on their nose and spin them and when that happens the piece can go inside the child’s mouth and either be ingested or cause an obstruction.”
As an example, Figure 1 highlighted the case of a nine-year-old boy who accidentally swallowed the ring of a fidget spinner after a piece broke off as he was holding it over his head.
3. Trampolines:
Dr. Vorona said doctors have cautioned parents about trampolines for years because they are known to cause injuries such as fractures, sprains or more severe head or neck injuries, when children fall off them.
Some pediatric associations have even gone as far as recommending against the use of trampolines for recreational purposes altogether because of the number of related injuries, Dr. Vorona said.
In one Figure 1 example, a nurse practitioner uploaded a photo of a seven-year-old child’s fractured wrist that was the result of falling onto the outer ring of a metal trampoline.
4. Magnets:
Often found in popular toys or electronics, magnets have posed a risk to young children for a long time thanks to their small size and deceptive appearance. Dr. Vorona said young children will often mistakenly swallow magnets, which can cause serious internal damage.
“They can make their way down into the child’s bowels,” Dr. Vorona said. “If there are two magnets and they’re in separate parts of the bowel, they can attract to each other and cause the bowel itself to become inflamed and damaged.”
In one example on the mobile app, a mother was able to identify where a magnet was in her child’s body by placing another magnet of opposite polarity outside the torso and moving it around.
5. Soft-projectile guns:
Soft-projectile guns, which are plastic guns that shoot foam bullets, have been popular for some time and can be particularly dangerous for eyes, according to Figure 1. The projectiles can cause ocular trauma if they hit a child’s eyes, Vorona said.
The British Medical Journal (BMJ) posted a case study on Figure 1 about three unrelated patients suffering from pain and blurred vision as a result of being shot with a Nerf gun in the span of three months. The BMJ shared information about the cases in order to raise awareness and “highlight the severity of the ocular trauma.”
For parents with children dead set on getting their hands on one or more of these toys, Dr. Vorona advises them to look for products made by reputable manufacturers with good reviews and ensure their child understands the potential risks involved in using the product.
