Ashley Haugen’s daughter Kipley was affected severely by developmental delays after consuming water beads sold as safe to children.
The mother is now leading the calls for tighter regulation and warning labels in an attempt to prevent more such tragedies among other families.
Ashley Haugen never thought that something as innocuous as a seemingly harmless toy would turn her world upside down. When her toddler daughter Kipley started vomiting and developed some sort of rash, doctors were baffled.
It wasn’t until surgery that the horrifying truth emerged: tiny water beads ingested during innocent play had expanded in Kipley’s intestine, causing a blockage.
Water beads, sold as nontoxic and safe, expand to 100 times their size in liquid, a color change most parents will never notice before it is too late.
In the weeks after surgery, Kipley was having trouble coordinating and understanding. Doctors finally diagnosed her with toxic brain encephalopathy, a severe neurological condition associated with the ingestion of these beads. Kipley’s case, now published in the medical journal Pediatrics, is a stark warning to parents and policymakers alike.
An environmental health expert, Dr. Elizabeth Friedman pointed out that the bigger problem is that water beads are made of polyacrylamide, a neurotoxin. Such products are widely available but are not well-regulated.
Kipley’s case is one of many. The Consumer Product Safety Commission says there have been more than 7,800 ingestion-related injuries from 2016 to 2022. In 2023, one child died from ingesting them.
Out of her suffering, Haugen co-wrote the case report and formed an advocacy Web site, That Water Bead Lady, to raise awareness and support affected families. Now eight years old, Kipley addressed lawmakers in a simple plea: “Please work together to ban water beads. Lots of kids like me got hurt.
While Kipley continues on her road to recovery, her family’s fight for change is just beginning, urging swift action to safeguard other children from hidden household dangers.
