Two children in Scotland have suffered severe burns after heating popular squishy toys in microwaves, prompting a warning from a Glasgow hospital about the dangers of an emerging online trend. The practice, which involves heating the toys to make them softer, led to serious injuries for an 11-year-old girl and an eight-year-old boy.
Scarlet Rowe, 11, from Irvine in North Ayrshire, was treated for burns to her face and eyelid in May. Her mother, Gina, described the initial aftermath as looking like slime on her daughter's face, only realizing the severity when it began burning her skin. The swelling was significant, but thankfully, no skin graft was required, though the proximity to her eye meant the situation was potentially much worse.
In a separate incident also in May, eight-year-old Joseph Erskine from Clackmannanshire required weeks of treatment and a skin graft after a toy burst on his chest and hand. His mother, Stephanie Ewing, reported that her son used a towel to wipe off the burning gel, which resulted in removing part of his skin.
A hospital in Glasgow has alerted parents to the potential dangers associated with heating these types of toys, often found online, as a method to enhance their texture. Medical professionals are advising caution regarding this trend.
The incidents highlight the risks associated with altering toys not intended for heating, particularly in microwave ovens, which can lead to severe thermal injuries.