Pediatric surgeon Doug Barnhart one recent day on the St. Vincent hospital campus in Billings demonstrates the strength of a row of magnets.
“Incredibly fun to play with whether you’re an adult or a kid are these really powerful magnets, right? That’ll click together,” he said. “The problem is if you swallow that and then you swallow this one, and they’re in two different parts of the intestines, you’re going to make a hole in the intestine.”
This is the kind of thing Barnhart says he worries about kids getting their hands on. Others include water beads that expand if swallowed and tiny, round “button cell” batteries left within reach or unsecured inside toys and electronics.
Research from the American Academy of Pediatrics shows the number of battery-related hospital visits among children between 2010 and 2019 was more than double the rate in the two decades prior.
New regulations in 2022 added labeling and testing requirements for toys that use button cell batteries, but Barnhart says it’s ultimately up to adults to monitor what’s within a child’s reach.
“It’s impossible to be diligent enough as a parent to prevent kids from putting things in their mouths. That’s gonna happen, right?” said Barnhart. “So, I think what we need to do is try to make it so the things in the environment are safe enough that when kids put 'em in their mouth, it’s not dangerous.”
Barnhart said safe gifts include ones that stimulate the imagination and facilitate outside play, whether a ball, doll or bike. He says in the case of bikes and toys with wheels, wearing a helmet should be the top priority.
