YOU NEED TO KNOW
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Caleb Chabolla, 9, tried a viral social media trend of a NeeDoh Nice Cube microwave, his mother said
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After he opened the microwave, the gel-based toy exploded on his face
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He suffered second degree burns on one side and on his hands
A 9-year-old boy suffered serious injuries after participating in a recent social media trend.
On the morning of Jan. 20, Caleb Chabolla was getting ready to leave for school when he tried to bend Schylling’s NeeDoh Nice Cube to make the gel-based toy more flexible, Loyola Medicine said in a news release shared with PEOPLE.
Caleb’s mother, Whitney Grubb, said her son got the idea to try the trend after a conversation with a friend, who told him about the social media trend. She was in the garage warming up her car when she heard the microwave start, and thought Caleb was warming up his breakfast.
“After hearing what she described as a bloodcurdling scream, she knew something was wrong,” said the medical center, which confirmed that Caleb tried to ignite the popular sensory toy. However, when he opened the microwave, the object, “filled with gelatinous material, exploded on his face and hands.”
Grubb tried to rinse off the substance in the shower; however, it didn’t work. She took him to the emergency room, and he was later transferred to Loyola Medicine’s Burn Center. He also saw an ophthalmologist to treat his eye, which was swollen shut.
His vision was not affected and Caleb is now recovering at home, Loyola Medicine said.
The Nice Cube is a “sensory squish that’s perfect for stretching, squishing, squeezing, and soothing,” according to the official website. “DO NOT cook, freeze, or microwave, may cause personal injury,” the site’s warning says.
He suffered second-degree burns on one side and his hands, his mother told CBS News. He is expected to return to school later this week.
Paula Petersen, APN, advanced practice nurse of the burn center, remarked in Loyola’s news release how Caleb is “very fortunate not to have sustained more serious injuries.” She added, “These trends can be extremely dangerous for young people who are less likely to consider or cannot understand the serious consequences.”
McElligott said the toddler is the fourth child to enter the facility because of the trend. “A child who heated it in the microwave, then put her finger on it and her finger went through, and she burned her finger,” said McElligott, according to CBS News.
She told WGN9 that 30% of their patients are pediatric patients. “I think every day it’s common things in the house that are burning these kids and we want to make sure that parents should be diligent about what’s in their house,” she said, mentioning the toys mentioned above as well as “ramen noodles that come out of the microwave that kids spill on themselves, or little kids drinking hot coffee from the counter.”
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PEOPLE has reached out to Schylling for comment.
Read the original article on People