Eden Strong was well aware that if the floating toys her children played with in the bath were left unattended and water got trapped inside, a dangerous amount of bacteria could grow there.
The freelance writer and mother of three who lives in Chicago has seen numerous posts on social media from mothers who disassembled the rubber ducks belonging to their children in search of gold mine mold. Because of this, she made an effort to wring them dry after each bath and wash them frequently with bleach and water to stop the growth of bacteria.
However, as she recently shared on Facebook, it appears that wasn’t enough, and it took her a painful trip to the emergency room to learn the lesson that she is now spreading to a large audience.
On Sept. 21, she wrote on Facebook that she was hesitant to even tell the story because she was concerned that some individuals might have difficulty seeing the images. She admitted to CafeMom that she no longer wanted the pandemic to make parents nervous.
On the other hand, Strong has thought a lot over the next few months about what she wishes she had known sooner, and she now feels its her responsibility to warn the other parents.
As they passed each other in the house’s upstairs hallway, the babysitter said, “Baylor splashed herself in the eye with a water toy.”
Strong wasn’t worried about the redness of her child in one of his eyes.
She said later in the post, “I thought it was just irritated by the water or maybe the pressure of the water, so I didn’t think much of it.”
That changed throughout the night.
She went on to explain, “I asked my husband to take him to the ER, thinking he had pink eye, when I saw that his eye was even redder than before when I put him in the high chair that night.” She was concerned that the child might have pink eye.
Her two-year-old son was then told to leave because he had sore throats.
Baylor was given one portion right away, Major areas of strength for however to give him a lift around midnight “to ensure he’s better in the first part of the day.”
However, she was shocked when he entered her room.
Baylor, who was asleep in his crib, gave him a second look before falling asleep. It got worse when his cheek turned red.
When she brought him to the emergency room at 02:30, the doctor stated that Mayo Clinic says that cellulitis
is a common but potentially serious bacterial skin infection that causes painful, swollen, red, and even warm skin.
Although it can affect the face, hands, and other parts of the body, it is most commonly associated with the lower legs. Most of the time, it happens when the skin has a crack or break that lets microorganisms get in and make an infection.
After the exam, Baylor received an oral antibiotic prescription and was sent home.
But Strong made a mistake; She was amazed when she saw her baby in the crib a few hours later.
Strong writes, “When I saw my husband in bed at 6 a.m., I yelled at him to get in the van.”
“His larger eye protruded from between his eyelids, covering the white portion of his iris. A quick temperature check revealed that he had a high fever and that he felt warm to the touch.
As they got closer, he felt more afraid.
According to the mother, “I cried all the way to the bigger hospital and prayed that he wouldn’t lose his sight.”
Her 12-year-old daughter Savannah has Ehlers-Danlos syndrome, a genetic disorder that damages connective tissue in the body, and her 9-year-old son Bennett has epilepsy.
She paid multiple visits to the hospital over the years for both of her children because she was always concerned about their health and well-being.
Nonetheless, these encounters with a particular goal in mind solidified him and trained him to confront unpleasant circumstances or more all to battle for the most ideal consideration.
However, these experiences hardened him in some way, taught him to deal with stressful situations, and most importantly, taught him to fight for the best treatment possible.
“Unfortunately, she has to deal with medical issues on a regular basis,” Strong tells CafeMom, “and I think that gave me the strength to fight for my child.” if I had given up on fighting for my child, the possibilities of what would have happened to Baylor are terrifying. Treatment and decided to wait a few days for the eye drops to work.”
When they arrived, Baylor received an e via IV immediately, and due to his significant swelling, a CT scan was immediately ordered to examine his retina.
The trauma was not over, despite the inevitable assistance.
Solid depicted the following week as “extremely alarming” as she hung tight for her child to recuperate.
She knew she had cellulitis, but it was so bad that it spread to her face and both eyes.Additionally, the doctors advised him that Baylor would lose sight in one eye due to the seriousness of the condition.
This horrible incident still haunts him.
She asserts, “It was like her entire future flashed before me and everything looked different than I thought.”
Strong reports that Baylor’s vision is unaffected now that his eyes have recovered after a few days. After the terrible incident, she has a message for the other parents that she just can’t keep to herself.
“How about the toys for the bath?” In her Facebook post, she pleaded, “THROW THEM.” They simply cannot be cleaned. Since there was never any visible mold that I could photograph, I have no images to display of the moldy bumps. I believed I was superior to filthy bath toys despite the fact that I had known since science class in sixth grade that I could not see bacteria. Icommitted an error.”
Strong claims that despite regularly cleaning the toys with a bleach and water solution, he was unaware that harmful bacteria could still grow within them and go undetected by the naked eye.
Strong, who says he is “absolutely blown away” by how well-known it has become, is the one who is most surprised.
According to what she tells CafeMom, “I posted a message last Monday night and it went so quickly that by Tuesday morning my Facebook account was blocked from receiving messages.”Again, the word spread like wildfire when it opened on Thursday night.”
She claims that the number of parents who have contacted her about similar experiences has both amazed and discouraged her. the author stated, “This really made me realize that the problem is much deeper and that the producers of bath toys need to be evaluated thoroughly.”
However, many parents were concerned that something similar might occur.
One parent wrote, “OMG,” “I had no idea.”I’m glad he’s fine;Her eyes are stunning.
A third individual made the following observation: how spooky!”I saw black mold on the toys of my children, so I knew they had it; however, I was unaware that white would not solve the issue. A problem.”I don’t know how my kids avoided the same fate because they sprayed the stuff on each other and themselves.
The warning was appreciated by those who were not parents.
“I don’t have children yet, yet I truly value you posting this,” said one Facebook client. “Please accept my apologies you and your child needed to go through this!”And I’m so happy for his recovery!”
Others advised safeguarding bath toys.Several bath toys are suggested, but none have water-entering vents. One mother even stated that she avoids purchasing actual toys for children. her kids play with Tupperware and wings that are similar.)
To stop water from getting into the toys, others used a method that no one had ever heard of before.
One person made the observation that “I’ve seen people buy brand new and patch the hole with hot glue so the kids can play with the toy without the water getting in and going bad.”
Strong was surprised to discover that the majority of comments were overwhelmingly favorable.
She states, “I was afraid people would dismiss me as a whistleblower, but after reading thousands of comments from parents whose children have experienced something similar, I’m now glad I’m a whistleblower.” She was afraid that people would disregard her as a whistleblower.
He said that Baylor is doing well and is acting “like a warrior” in the situation.
She continues, “She spent quite a bit of time smiling about everything, even though I chose some of the pictures of her that were more disturbing for my post.”
She still believes that Baylor’s words, “Go home, mom!” will never be forgotten.while he clung to her to prevent the nurses from inserting an IV.
Strong goes on to say that the disease may have been exacerbated and spread to both eyes as a result of a toddler’s incessant and difficult-to-stop rubbing of the eyes.
However, for the time being, all she can think about is how fortunate she is that it has come to an end and that their story has the potential to prevent others from experiencing the same loss.