*Doctors are urging parents to keep NeeDoh sensory toys away from heat after a wave of serious burn injuries in children.
According to the New York Post, kids have suffered devastating wounds when the squishy gadgets exploded after time in a microwave, freezer, or hot car. Some young patients arrived at hospitals amid “blood-curdling screams” of pain.
The danger comes from what fills the toys. Inside each one sits a sugary gel that heat transforms into a scalding, glue-like substance. High temperatures also force the material to swell until the toy ruptures without warning. The manufacturer’s guidance leaves no room for doubt: “Do NOT heat, freeze, or microwave.”
Social media is fueling many of the accidents. Viral challenges dare kids to cook or chill the toys, and the videos rarely show what can go wrong. Even children who stay offline hear about the trends from classmates.
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The case reports are grim. Scarlett Selby, a 7-year-old in Missouri, ended up in a medically induced coma after a microwaved toy erupted. She required skin grafts around her mouth and airway. In the United Kingdom, a 10-year-old named Bella was left with blisters and raw patches on her face after a friend attempted a TikTok stunt. Her doctors say she cannot go in the sun for two summers.
Caleb Chabolla, a 9-year-old from Chicago, took the blast of a microwaved Nice Cube directly to his face. The second-degree burns destroyed tissue that surgeons had to remove, and his mother described his face as “melting off.” In New Mexico, a 13-year-old girl squeezed a toy that had baked inside a hot car for hours. It detonated, leaving third-degree burns across her arms and legs.
Lasting consequences can include permanent scars, vision loss, infection, and repeated reconstructive procedures. The trauma often lingers emotionally as well.
Loyola Medicine
“Parents need to be aware of this trend and all dangerous social media challenges because they can pose a serious risk to children, and the children participating are not yet mature enough to recognize the danger for themselves,” Dr. Alicia Webb, a pediatric emergency medicine physician at Children’s of Alabama, told The Post.
“The hot NeeDoh toys can easily explode, causing burns to the face, eyes, mouth, body, and can even cause internal damage if the hot substance is swallowed,” explained Webb.
Experts urge parents to discuss risky online stunts with their kids and forbid any experiments involving temperature. Toys showing damage should be thrown out, and none should ever sit in a parked car.
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