For most kids, bath time is all about fun — the more toys, the better. But for one Illinois mom, a seemingly harmless bath toy turned into every parent’s nightmare.
Eden Strong was giving her 2-year-old son, Baylor, his usual evening bath when she noticed his eye looked a little red. Thinking it was just irritation from water, she didn’t give it much thought. But after another bath, Baylor’s eye became severely inflamed — and Eden quickly realized something was terribly wrong.
Now, she’s sharing their frightening experience to warn other parents: that favorite bath toy might be more dangerous than you think.
What Eden thought was a minor irritation turned out to be something far more serious — a dangerous bacterial infection called cellulitis.
Within just 12 hours, Baylor’s eye went from slightly pink to dangerously swollen and infected.
“His eye was protruding from his face,” Eden shared in a now-viral Facebook post. “It was barely recognizable. He was burning with a high fever.”
Terrified, she rushed him to a larger hospital, tears streaming down her face as she prayed he wouldn’t lose his eye.
“The next week was absolutely terrifying,” she said.
Doctors confirmed Baylor had a severe case of cellulitis that spread rapidly down his face and into both eyes. At one point, they warned Eden that he might lose vision in one eye.
But miraculously — and to Eden’s overwhelming relief — Baylor pulled through.
“Thank the Lord, his eyes healed,” she said.
The shocking cause of Baylor’s painful injury? A simple squirting bath toy.
“I later learned that those toys trap water inside — and over time, that stagnant water becomes a breeding ground for dangerous bacteria,” Eden explained. “You can’t fully clean them, and you can’t see the threat growing inside.”
Determined to prevent other families from going through the same nightmare, Eden shared graphic photos of Baylor’s swollen, infected face on Facebook. Her heartfelt warning struck a chord — the post has since gone viral, shared over 192,000 times.
To her surprise, messages began pouring in from other parents who had similar horror stories. Photos. Injuries. Infections. What was meant as a simple warning turned into a powerful movement among parents to re-evaluate the safety of everyday bath toys.
Now, Eden Strong is urging toy manufacturers to rethink how bath toys are made — especially those that trap water inside.
“I hope companies take this seriously,” she said. “No parent should have to watch their child suffer because of a toy that’s supposed to be safe.”
Since the incident, she’s thrown away all of Baylor’s squeezable bath toys — every single one.
The memory of that terrifying week still haunts her.
“It’s something I’ll never forget,” she said. “I still think about how close we came to losing his vision — all because of a toy.”
“They’re cute, they’re fun, they’re cheap and easy,” Eden said of the popular squirting bath toys. “But it’s just not worth it.”
Looking back, she believes her son’s natural toddler behavior — constantly rubbing his eyes — made things worse, spreading the infection from one eye to the other. It was a heartbreaking situation that escalated faster than she ever imagined.
Now, with Baylor healed and the worst behind them, Eden is simply grateful.
“I’m just so thankful he’s okay,” she said. “If sharing our story can save even one child from going through what Baylor did, then it’s worth every tear.”
What a fright this family went through, I’m so glad Baylor has recovered.
Please share to warn other parents.
