Most children enjoy winding down with a bath at the end of the day, and the more toys in the tub, the more fun it seems.
However, an Illinois mother is now cautioning other parents after her young son was involved in a horrifying accident with a seemingly harmless bath toy that almost cost him his vision.
While bathing her two-year-old son, Baylor, Eden Strong noticed he was uncomfortable, assuming it was just water in his eye. But his condition worsened after the bath.
Baylor contracted cellulitis, a severe and potentially deadly bacterial skin infection. Within just 12 hours, his eye went from slightly pink to dangerously infected.
WARNING “I’ve been holding onto this information for months because the images are so disturbing,” Eden shared on Facebook. “His eye was bulging out of his face,” she recalled in her post, which has since gone viral. His fever spiked, and the situation quickly became critical.
“I cried the entire drive to a larger hospital, terrified that he would lose consciousness,” Eden said.
The following week was a nightmare, as Baylor’s cellulitis spread, severely affecting his eye and face. Fortunately, despite doctors’ fears he could lose sight in one eye, Baylor’s vision recovered.
The culprit? A squirting bath toy.
WARNING “I’ve learned something important. I’ve hesitated to share because the images are so graphic,” Eden posted. A healthcare professional explained to her that bacteria thrive in these types of toys, as water never fully drains from them.
Eden posted shocking photos of Baylor’s injuries on Facebook to alert other parents, and the post has since been shared by 192,000 people. Parents flooded her with stories and photos of similar incidents with their own children.
Strong hopes this will push bath toy manufacturers to rethink their designs. She has since thrown out all of Baylor’s squeeze toys.
“I love those toys—they’re fun, simple, and cheap. But they’re just not worth the risk,” she said.
What a terrifying ordeal for this family, but thankfully, Baylor is recovering.