Balloons, glitter, and unicorns are happy things to me. If a mother of three who has almost hit the fourth decade of her life can be fascinated by this shiny little stuff, why would not the babies? Babies love to experiment with new materials of different colors and textures. They will be naturally intrigued and be attracted to play with this glossy and soft glitter.
Glitter can keep a kid engaged for hours but it is worrisome for all the mommies when these tiny particles get into the baby’s eye because they are sticky and hard to be wiped off. Is this glitter dangerous for the baby? How to remove glitter if they get into your baby’s eyes or mouth? Continue reading to know answers for all your glitter problems.
CONTENT
1. What can glitter do to the baby’s eyes?
2. Is glitter safe for babies?
3. How to get glitter off my baby’s eyes?
4. How to get glitter off my baby’s face?
5. How to avoid the baby from getting glitter on his eyes or mouth?
1. What can glitter do to the baby’s eyes?
According to research by the National Library of Medicine, a majority of the patients who came to the Emergency Room with eye injuries are from the age group of newborns to 4-year-olds. These eye injuries were caused by various household chemicals but the glitter was also identified as a potential offender.
Glitter is not dangerous for your baby’s eyes in most cases. To be accurate, the damage glitter can do to your baby depends on the type of glitter and the amount of glitter he has gotten into the eye. Before giving your baby the glitter to play with, please consider the factors below.
- Material – Let your baby play only with glitter manufactured of safe materials. Most of the crafting glitter is made of plastic. But glitter meant for industrial purposes can be made of glass or metals which can be dangerous to your baby.
- Shape – Types of glitter with sharp-edged shapes such as triangles and stars can hurt your baby’s eyes if gotten inside. Always go for glitter with safe shapes like circles.
- Size – Small-sized glitter particles can do no harm to the eyes of your baby. Large-sized particles will not get into your baby’s eyes easily but if gotten into the eyes in some way, they can cause severe injuries.
If your baby gets glitter in his eye, do not panic. Baby’s eyes will naturally wash off glitter with tears. This may take a while so you can try few other techniques to get rid of glitter in the eyes. Take a wet cloth or a swab and try to wipe off glitter from the eye. You can also flush your baby’s eye if wiping off did not work. If the discomfort does not go away after three-four hours, contact your pediatrician immediately.
Glitter that we generally use for crafts and play are manufactured to be safe for kids, so it is unlikely that it will cause eye injuries or any other health problem to your baby. But in some cases, glitter can lead to eye irritations and even corneal abrasion.
Corneal abrasions are no serious injuries. They heal quickly but will need treatments like lubricating eye drops, antibiotics, or eye patches. Hence, it is important to seek medical advice if you suspect your baby is experiencing a corneal abrasion because of glitter. Followings are some signs of corneal abrasions.
- Redness and pain
- Excessive tears
- Pain when looking at light
- Increased blinking
- Holding the eye shut
2. Is glitter safe for the babies?
Plastic glitter is the most common type of glitter. Glitter made from metal and glass can also be found in the market. As a more eco-friendly solution for plastic glitter, biodegradable glitter, made from mica or modified regenerated cellulose (MRC) is becoming famous in the world. Plastic glitter is the safest for kids while glitter made of mica is considered harmless when gotten into the eye in small proportion. Avoid giving glitter made of glass or metal to your baby as they can cause serious eye injuries and other health problems.
3. How to get glitter off my baby’s eyes?
Natural tear production of the eye can wipe off glitter from the eye. But it will take time and your baby will rub his eyes in the meantime which will make the situation was leading to eye injuries. There are few steps suggested by the Children’s Hospital Colorado that you can try to get glitter off the baby’s eyes.
- Glitter particles stuck in the corner of the eye – Use a clean wet cloth or a cotton swab to gently remove the particles.
- Glitter particles stuck under the lower lid – Pull down the lower lid of the eye and dab it with a clean wet cloth or a cotton swab. If this does not work, pull the lower lid out and flush the baby’s eye with clean, lukewarm water.
- Glitter particles stuck under the upper lid – Hold the eye open and flush the eye with clean, lukewarm water. If this does not work, gently pull the upper lid outward and over the lower lid.
- Many glitter particles in the eye – Wipe off baby’s face and body to ensure no more glitter gets into the eye. Hold the baby’s eye open and flush the eye with clean, lukewarm water.
If you cannot get all the glitter off your baby’s eyes, there is nothing to worry about. They will be removed naturally with tears. Even if you remove all the glitter from your baby’s eye, redness and tearing will be there for few hours due to the irritation caused by the glitter. If symptoms prevail or there are signs of corneal abrasion, contact your pediatrician.
4. How to get glitter off my baby’s face?
The only thing we hate about glitter is how hard it is to clean when it spreads on a surface. Moisture attracts and sticks glitter so it is extra hard to take off glitter from our body. When your baby is done playing with glitter, you can use these tips to remove glitter from their body easily.
- Spread some baby powder on the baby’s body. It will dry up the moisture making it easier for glitter to come off the skin.
- Rub with a wet cloth or using a suitable oil such as baby oil. The wetness of the cloth will attract the glitter and clean the skin fast.
- Tape, putty, or something adhesive can also be used to remove glitter. Glitter particles will stick to the adhesive material and get removed without an issue.
5. How to avoid the baby from getting glitter on his eyes or mouth?
Although glitter does not hurt babies, it is always better to be safe and take safety precautions when using glitter.
- Store glitter out of the reach of your baby in a sealed container. Tell your kids that glitter is only to be used under the supervision of an adult.
- You can allow your baby to play with contained glitter such as glitter sensory bottles or glitter and gel sensory bags.
- Find a replacement for standard glitter that your baby likes. There are colored salt, metallic paper confetti, and mica-based glitter which can be used as a substitute.
