TikTok trend leaves boy with severe burns, doctors issue warning
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A 9-year-old boy is recovering after a popular toy caused second-degree burns to his face and hands.
Caleb Chabolla, a fourth-grader in Illinois, was injured after heating NeeDoh in the microwave late last month.
NeeDoh, a sensory toy that resembles a stress ball, is described on the company’s website as a “satisfying, super-soft, super-flexible, wonderful dough-filled sphere.”
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After heating the toy in the microwave to soften it, Chabolla took it out and began squeezing it when it exploded in his face.
Caleb Chabolla, a fourth-grader in Illinois, was injured after heating NeeDoh in the microwave late last month. (Whitney Grubb)
“I heard him screaming loudly and saw him running towards the bathroom and he kept screaming ‘it’s burning, it’s burning,'” the boy’s mother, Whitney Grubb, told Fox News Digital.
Grubb saw that the right side of Chabolla’s face was covered in thick gel with bright red skin underneath. She initially tried to wash the substance out but it was too painful, so she took her son to the emergency room.
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Chabolla was eventually transported by ambulance to the Loyola Burn Center, where he spent the night. Doctors “debride” the burn, which involves cleaning the burn wounds by removing dead, damaged or infected skin and debris.
“Because his eye was completely closed, they also brought in ophthalmology to make sure there was no injury to his eye,” Grubb said.
Doctors at Loyola informed Grubb that they had recently treated four more children who were burned by heating NeeDohs due to a viral trend on TikTok. (Whitney Grubb)
Doctors at Loyola informed Grubb that they had recently treated four more children who were burned by heating NeeDohs due to a viral trend on TikTok.
“Caleb had heard about it through word of mouth through his friends at school,” Grubb said.
After two weeks of recovery and daily wound cleaning, Chabolla was released to return to school on Wednesday.
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“His face looks a lot better,” Grubb said. “There are still a few spots that are healing, but most of his face is pretty much healed.”
He added that he will continue to need vitamin E lotion, as well as sunscreen, to protect his skin from burns.
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“For the most part, Caleb is happy to go back to school and see his friends, so his spirits are better now.”
Grubb wants to spread the word to warn other parents about the potential dangers of putting such toys in the microwave.
“For the most part, Caleb is happy to go back to school and see his friends, so his spirits are better now,” the boy’s mother told Fox News Digital. (Whitney Grubb)
“It’s hard to micromanage every little thing your child does, and unfortunately kids will try and try; they don’t know the risks of these things and they don’t know how heated things can get in a short time.”
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Fox News Digital reached out to the manufacturer of NeeDoh and the Loyola Burn Center requesting comment.
