Fidget spinners are everywhere. They’re the light of every elementary and middle school kid’s life and the bane of every teacher’s (and possibly parent’s) existence. But up until now, they’ve been nothing more than a nuisance at worst.
That is until May 15 when mom Kelly Joniec shared the story of her daughter, who almost choked after getting the spinner bushing of her fidget spinner lodged in her throat, on Facebook.
Joniec writes, in part:
On the way home from a fun swim meet, I heard Britton make an odd retching noise in the back seat as I was driving. She pointed to her throat saying she’d swallowed something, so I attempted Heimlich but there was no resistance. She said she’d put part of her fidget spinner in her mouth to clean it and somehow swallowed it.
Joniec continues, stating she took her daughter to urgent care where they made the decision to send her to Texas Children’s Hospital by ambulance. It was there that doctors discovered the bushing in her esophagus and rushed her into surgery after a difficult IV administration to remove it.
Joniec concludes her post with a serious warning for parents:
Fidget spinners are the current craze so they are widely distributed. Kids of all ages may be getting them, but not all spinners come with age-appropriate warnings. The bushings pop out easily, so if you have young kids (under 8 yr old) keep in mind that these present a potential choking hazard.
My own kids just recently got them, and I can’t believe I hadn’t thought of this danger before. My son, 8 years old, even cautioned his brother not to play with it over the hardwood floor or concrete outside because “the metal parts pop out really easily.”
Where was my momdar on that one?
Needless to say, I will be having a chat with my two oldest boys about proper use and safety precautions, especially when it comes to playing with them around their 2-year-old brother and leaving them sitting atop random tables and furniture.
In my opinion (which is only one of a parent, not a professional when it comes to children’s toys), I don’t think anyone should rush to snatch these away from their kids entirely.
But I think a serious conversation with kids about the potential dangers they pose is in order.
To read Joniec’s full Facebook post, see below.