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AIBU?

Share your dilemmas and get honest opinions from other Mumsnetters.

Original poster

to feel this product is not safe for children?

66 replies

lill72 · 02/05/2018 15:53

Hi, so DD , 3 , licked a kids ink pad and violently vomtited 4 times and ended up in A and E.

I was terrified as I was in the room but did not know what had happened until she had stopped vomiting and explained what she had done.

She was in A and E for a few hours.

I wrote to the company and after a long time waiting, they have replied with a weak apology and said that while unfortuate, it was due to an embittering agent put in the product so that kids dont keep licking it.

So it is ok to make a child vomit???? She licked it once.

Shouldnt a kids product be non toxic?

I find this very unacceptable.

The brand is a UK brand , based in London. It does not say it is non toxic

OP posts:
Doubletrouble99 · 02/05/2018 15:55

I'm not sure an 'embittering agent' is toxic.

InspMorse · 02/05/2018 15:57

What did A&E say? Why so sick after licking only 'once'?
Was it a 'reflux' reaction?

InspMorse · 02/05/2018 15:58

Or was it the tast

InspMorse · 02/05/2018 15:58

Taste making her gag?

Moreisnnogedag · 02/05/2018 15:59

But isn't that the point? I'd imagine children's reactions would be on a spectrum with the majority just finding it disgusting but an unfortunate few strongly reacting and vomiting.

The embittering agent likely is non-toxic, as vomiting does not indicate toxicity/harm.

mrsFruitLoops · 02/05/2018 16:01

My ds used to bite his nails so we bought a nail varnish to stop him. .. he bit his nails and threw up as it tastes disgusting. It wasn't poisonous or toxic but tastes vile.

He also tried to taste his sisters shampoo which had a bittering agent in. He didn't puke this time but was in tears as it tasted so bad.

Original poster
lill72 · 02/05/2018 16:01

Well yes it is sort of the point but not sure vomiting 4 times is the point! This is a kids stamp pad. If it requires a kid to vomit 4 times to be safe from it, i would rather they didnt use it.

Surely other kids products dont do this?

OP posts:
Original poster
lill72 · 02/05/2018 16:02

A and E didnt really say anything. Only that she was not poisoned as i took in the stamp pad with ingrdients.

OP posts:
PickAChew · 02/05/2018 16:02

It probably had bitrex in which has been added to things that shouldn't be eaten or licked for many years.

And if it doesn't say it's non toxic then it's your responsibility as a parent to judge whether your own child is mature enough to use something safely.

BlackInk · 02/05/2018 16:02

I'm sure the embittering agent is non toxic, just like the stuff you paint fingernails with to stop kids biting them.

Was she sick 4 times immediately? Or over a space of time? Does she usually have a sensitive gag reflex? If all at the same time I would say it's an extreme reaction to a bad taste.

BI

Original poster
lill72 · 02/05/2018 16:03

It was very very scary as it was such an extreme reaction.

OP posts:
acornsandnuts · 02/05/2018 16:04

How many other products has your dd licked?

She may have a low tolerance to certain tastes that other children may just find an unpleasant deterant.

CheshireChat · 02/05/2018 16:05

I think it also depends on the child, some have stronger reactions to tastes they don't like- not judging btw, my DS is like this so I could easily imagine him being sick without any actual harm coming to him.

Sirzy · 02/05/2018 16:05

So she wasn’t poisoned.

She licked it and the taste made her feel sick. Some children have a more extreme gag reflex than others.

It’s not a product designed for children to lick hence the manufacturer taking steps to stop children doing so

RomeoBunny · 02/05/2018 16:06

Yes. Her reaction was extreme. Most kids would just pull a face and maybe gag. Your child having a sensitive gag reflex is nothing to do with the company or product Hmm

RomeoBunny · 02/05/2018 16:06

And she deffo wont lick it again 👍

BarbarianMum · 02/05/2018 16:07

I doubt it would cause such a violent reaction in most children and Im sure it's not toxic, just bitter. Sorry you've had such a scare but I don't think the manufacturer has done anything wrong. There is a limit to the number of things bitter enough to put children off that are actually safe for them to lick. Kids are very "eat first, taste later".

SoupDragon · 02/05/2018 16:07

I do think small children are sick very easily (well, mine did it effortlessly!) so something that made them gag could quite easily make them vomit spectacularly.

hubblebubbleworry · 02/05/2018 16:08

it doesn't sound great, but it is the parent's responsibility to watch out of these kind of things and it's not poisonous - if the product was toxic or had done long term damage then you'd be right, that sort of thing shouldn't be in any product a kid might do something like lick.

As it is, it sounds like you've had a really crap experience. My DD had a thin glass shatter in her mouth at a well known child friendly restaurant and the manager didn't even apologise - we left it, it was clearly one of those things but we are more vigilant now about the thickness of glasses after trip to a&e and a worrying few days (she was fine).

Sweetpotatoaddict · 02/05/2018 16:09

No harm done. Hopefully put her off licking an ink pad again.

Frusso · 02/05/2018 16:11

Maybe stop letting your kid lick ink pads?
By 3 they really should have moved on from putting everything in their mouths.

IHaveBrilloHair · 02/05/2018 16:11

It's just one of those things.
My nephew would gag and vomit over anything he didn't like much, Dd would say it was gross and leave it.

Kursk · 02/05/2018 16:14

Sounds like the agent in the pad did exactly what it was meant to do.

HoldingTheLineWinston · 02/05/2018 16:16

The Bitrex is designed to stop your child from ingesting large amounts of the substance within, so that they don't get poisoned. It worked (though unpleasantly). I think you are completely misunderstanding this.

TheHodgeoftheHedge · 02/05/2018 16:25

So it wasn't poisonous or toxic. But it obviously didn't taste nice. What exactly is your point here?!!!