Girl, 2, left fighting for life after swallowing FOURTEEN toy magnetic balls as mum issues urgent warning to parents

A MUM has told how her daughter was left fighting for life after swallowing 14 magnetic toy balls.

Little Rebecca McCarthy is said to be one of around 300 children rushed to A&E in a single year due to similar incidents.

The toddler was taken to hospital in 2021 after swallowing 14 brightly coloured magnetic balls.

She underwent a two-hour operation during which doctors temporarily removed part of her intestines to access the magnets, which had clumped together and become embedded deep in her tissue.

Rebecca’s mum, Sam from Basildon, said the first indication that something was wrong came when Rebecca vomited one lunchtime, according to the Echo paper, covering south Essex.

She said: “Rebecca’s accident devastated the whole family. She had months of ongoing health issues. I still find it incredibly painful to think about.

“The memory will never fade. I would hate for any other child to go through what Becca suffered because of buying dangerous toys from sellers on online marketplaces.”

According to new research, approximately 300 children were taken to A&E in just one year after swallowing magnets—some influenced by social media trends mimicking tongue piercings.

The University of Southampton study revealed that one in ten of these cases required life-saving surgery after ingesting magnets found in various items, including magnetic ball toys, imitation piercings, and other household objects.

The findings were based on data collected from 66 hospitals across the UK between May 2022 and April 2023.

Professor Nigel Hall, a paediatric surgeon at the University and Southampton Children’s Hospital, warned parents about the risks associated with toys that contain magnets.

“Having an unplanned emergency operation is a traumatic experience for any child and their family,” he said.

“Around one in 10 of these young patients had surgery with most ending up with serious problems, like needing part of their bowel removed or requiring a stoma.”

Hall noted that some children suffered severe complications, such as having portions of their bowel removed or needing a stoma.

The study also revealed that 6% of the cases involved children—mostly girls—who swallowed magnets while attempting to mimic tongue piercings, influenced by viral trends on social media.

Hall said it is crucial to take children to the emergency department promptly if they swallow a magnet.

“Most children who have swallowed a magnet do not show any symptoms, so it is really important that all cases have an x-ray to find out for certain,” he said.

President of the Royal College of Emergency Medicine (RCEM) Dr Adrian Boyle said similar incidents can be extremely distressing for children and their caregivers.

“We at RCEM have worked to raise awareness of the issue of children swallowing small items such as super strong mini-magnets, button batteries and water beads – by issuing a ‘safety flash’ for our members, as well as advice to parents and carers warning about these potentially ‘hidden hazards’.

“As a parent I know we all do our best to be vigilant as to what our children are putting in their mouths – but it is impossible to monitor them all the time.”

If a caregiver suspects a child has swallowed something they shouldn’t have, they should take them to A&E, even if there are no visible symptoms.

“In cases such as this it really is better to be safe than sorry – and to have the child examined by a medical professional,” Boyle said. 

The Child Accident Prevention Trust, which focuses on preventing death and serious injury to young people from avoidable accidents, praised the research. 

The trust’s chief executive Katrina Phillips said: “These super strong magnets can rip through a child’s guts and leave them with life-changing injuries. One boy has died.

“Take a moment to check who you’re buying from. Don’t assume that, just because you can buy something, it must be safe.”