Mum's warning over popular Kmart toy: 'Burst in his eye'

A distressed mum has issued an urgent warning to parents everywhere over a popular Kmart children's toy, which she said "burst" into her son's eye, causing "intense pain", swelling and leaving him unable to open it for half an hour while she "removed all the particles".

The mum said she bought the special sensory toy for her son, who has autism, thinking "it'll be good for him" but was horrified after it burst in his eye while she was eating her dinner.

The toy, one ball out of a bundle of six from Kmart's The Sensory Toybox Squish Balls line, caused "intense pain" and swelling for an entire evening, the mum said.

Child's horror ordeal lasts entire evening

"I was eating my dinner and my son, our seven-year-old boy, was watching tv and squishing the toy and then all of a sudden it burst and went all over his face, especially his eyes," Mary Grace Ochoa told Yahoo News Australia.

"Me, my husband, my three-year-old and teen kids all panicked and got scared because my son was in intense pain in his right eye and couldn't open it. We ran him to the shower and tried to wash it out and my boy just kept screaming in pain.

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"My husband used a small cup and poured it on his eye to wash out lots of small round tiny particles [that had] exploded all over his face and eyes."

Mum's plea to Kmart after toy 'burst' in his eye

Ochoa recalled it "took nearly half an hour" until her son managed to open his eye, which by that point was very "swollen and red". The mother said that she wanted to call an ambulance, but was financially unable to do so.

"We stayed by my son's side to calm him and he just [kept] crying, and is still very scared," she said, adding that eventually he did calm down and fell asleep, though he remained in pain for the duration of the evening.

"I just hope Kmart's sensory toys — particularly because they're used by kids with sensory issues and disabilities — are [more] safe. Better to remove it totally so nothing terrible happen to other kids too, this has been very, very terrifying."

Speaking to Yahoo News Australia, a Kmart spokesperson said the retailer takes safety seriously. "Safety is always our number one priority, and we always want to hear from customers about any concerns with our products so we can investigate and review. Our customer service team can be contacted on 1800 124 125 or through our website," the spokesperson said.

Other Kmart products called into question

It's not the first time Kmart's products have been called out over safety concerns. Just last month the retailer's popular rice cooker was been called into question again following another report of the appliance catching fire without warning.

Customer Nick Morgan is urging the retail giant to recall the Anko 7-Cup Rice Cooker after his daughter and 8-month-old granddaughter were home when their appliance caught alight.

The rice cooker, selling for $14, was bought at Kmart Chermside in Brisbane and had been used only sparingly before this. Had it not been for his daughter's quick thinking, Nick said the family's entire home may have been lost.

Yahoo News Australia has contacted Kmart with regard to the sensory toy.

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