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 up a NeeDoh in the microwave late last month.
The NeeDoh, a sensory toy similar to a stress ball, is described on the company’s website as a « gratifying super soft, super stretchy dough filled groovy glob. »
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After microwaving the toy to soften it, Chabolla removed it and began squeezing it when it exploded in his face.
« I heard him screaming loudly and saw him take off running toward the bathroom, and he just kept yelling, ‘it burns, it burns,’ » Whitney Grubb, the boy’s mother, told Fox News Digital.
Grubb saw that the right side of Chabolla’s face was covered in a thick gel, with bright red skin underneath. She initially tried to wash off the substance, but it was too painful, so she drove her son to the emergency room.
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Chabolla was ultimately transferred via ambulance to the Loyola Burn Center, where he stayed overnight. Doctors « debrided » the burn, which involves cleaning burn wounds by removing dead, damaged or infected skin and debris.
« Because his eye ended up swelling all the way closed, they also brought in ophthalmology to make sure he didn’t have any injury to his eye, » Grubb said.
The doctors at Loyola informed Grubb that they had recently treated four other children who had been burned by heating up NeeDohs, stemming from a viral trend on TikTok.
« Caleb had heard about it through word of mouth through friends at school, » Grubb said.
After two weeks of recovery and daily wound cleanings, Chabolla was released to return to school on Wednesday.
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« His face is looking a lot better, » Grubb said. « There are a few spots that are still healing, but the majority of his face is pretty healed over. »
He will continue to need vitamin E lotion as well as sunscreen to keep the skin protected from burns, she added.
« For the most part, Caleb is just happy to be back at school to see his friends, so he’s in better spirits now. »
Grubb wants to spread the word to warn other parents about the potential dangers of putting these types of toys in the microwave.
« It’s hard to micromanage every little thing your kid does, and unfortunately, kids are going to experiment and try things — they don’t know the risks of these kinds of things, and they don’t know how hot things can get in a short amount of time. »
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Fox News Digital reached out to the manufacturer of NeeDoh and to the Loyola Burn Center requesting comment.
Source link : https://www.foxnews.com/health/dangerous-tiktok-trend-leaves-boy-badly-burned-doctors-issue-warning
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Publish date : 2026-02-05 02:37:00
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