Water Beads

Water beads can be appealing to children and adults because they’re colorful and look fun. But they can be dangerous around young children and people with developmental delays. Parents need to be aware of the potential for injury, make others aware of their dangers, consider safer alternatives, and know how to find help if they suspect an injury.

Water Beads Injury Facts

  • Over 8,000 water bead-related US emergency department visits occurred in 2007-2022
  • The number of water bead emergency department visits increased 131% from 2021-2022
  • Most (55%) cases involved children <5 years old and 46% of cases involved ingestion
  • 10% of children <5 years old were admitted; they represented 90% of all admissions

Water Beads Injury Prevention Tips

  • Keep water beads out of your home. If children younger than six years or individuals with developmental delays live in or visit your home, keep water beads out of your home. 
  • Talk to childcare providers. Talk with your childcare directors, preschool teachers, therapists, and others who may be using water beads with young children. Tell them water beads are not safe to use with young children and those with developmental delays. Encourage them to use safer alternatives.
  • Seek safer alternatives:
    • Sensory toys: There are many other safer sensory toy alternatives. These can be recommended by a child therapist or your family doctor.
    • Toy guns: Encourage children to use water guns instead of toy gel blaster guns. Eye injury can occur from the water bead projectiles, so protective eyewear should be used when using gel blasters. 
    • Decorations: Because it’s so easy to spill water beads when pouring them into vases, only to be discovered by a curious young child, consider using traditional decorations like wreaths, artificial flowers, or vases of flowers with just water. 
  • Know how to find help. If a child swallows a water bead, their symptoms may be similar to many other health concerns and water beads are hard to detect with X-rays. If you think your child may have swallowed a water bead or put one in their nose or ear, especially if they are having symptoms, call your family doctor or visit an urgent care center or emergency department. Be sure to tell your healthcare team if you think your child swallowed a water bead or put one in their nose or ear.

Additional Water Beads Resources