Retailers to stop selling water bead toys for kids
NEW YORK – Three major retailers – Amazon, Target and Walmart – say they’re suspending sales of water bead products marketed to young children due to growing safety concerns.
Water beads are small, colorful balls made of superabsorbent polymers. They are often sold as toys, including in craft activity kits, and as sensory tools for children with developmental disabilities. But warnings about the dangers of the beads being ingested have been piling up.
“When (water beads) absorb water, they can swell to many times their size,” said Dr. Joshua King, medical director of the Maryland Poison Center. “And while most even still pass through the gut without trouble, occasionally they swell to a size where they actually obstruct the bowel.”
This can lead to severe discomfort and life-threatening injuries, the U.S. Consumer Product Safety Commission notes in online guidance – adding that water beads can also end up in ears, causing damage or hearing loss. According to the regulator, an estimated 7,800 water bead-related injuries were treated in hospital emergency rooms between 2016 and 2022.
Amazon confirmed Thursday that it updated its policy on water bead sales earlier this week “in the interest of safety.” The e-commerce giant will no longer allow the sale of water beads that are marketed to children, including as toys, art supplies or for sensory play, a spokesperson said.
Under Amazon’s updated policy, listings will be removed if they include images of children with the products or have references including “child,” “kid,” “crafts” or “sensory play.” Sellers have until Dec. 22 to comply, the spokesperson said.
Walmart also confirmed its decision to stop selling “expanding water bead toy and craft items marketed to young children,” noting the company has already taken steps to remove the products
in stores and online. And Target said it will no longer sell water beads marketed to children aged 12 and under, similarly citing safety concerns.
Target has started removing the products from its shelves and online this week, a spokesperson said, and expects to complete the process by the first weeks of January.
Target previously sold “Chuckle & Roar Ultimate Water Beads Activity Kits,” which were recalled in September. The activity kits, manufactured by Buffalo Games, were pulled from shelves after the reported death of a 10month-old in Wisconsin who swallowed the water beads and another report of a 9-month-old in Maine who underwent surgery after being seriously injured from ingesting the beads.
Amazon, Walmart and Target aren’t the only retailers with policies limiting water bead sales. Ebay points to measures it has implemented over the years – including filters to prevent sellers from listing water beads marketed as toys, and safety warning requirements for other water bead products. And Etsy has now prohibited water beads entirely, “regardless of their marketing or intended use,” a spokesperson said.
Beyond company-by-company corporate measures, lawmakers and advocates have also continued to push for more widespread change – which some say is overdue.