A mom has spoken out in warning after her toddler had to undergo three surgeries after she briefly left the four-year-old with a common house hold item in her hands.
On March 23, Jodi Lowe from Perth, Australia, was doing some washing and had her four-year-old daughter, Luca de Groot, with her.
Knowing it wasn’t in her daughter’s nature to “have the urge to bite,” Jodi handed the toddler a laundry capsule pod while she briefly turned away to start a load of washing.
But in just moments, Luca had already bitten into the pod—causing it to burst and spray detergent all over her, including directly into her eyes.
The toddler instinctively began rubbing her eyes, unknowingly spreading the harsh chemicals even further.
Panicked, Jodi scooped her up and rushed her straight to the shower, frantically checking the capsule’s container for emergency instructions.
Jodi recalled, “I put her in the shower and checked the back of the product. It just said to ‘seek medical advice,’ so I didn’t think it would be anything too serious.”
But despite rinsing Luca’s eyes thoroughly with water, the toddler continued screaming in pain and was visibly distressed.
When she still hadn’t calmed down, Jodi called a poison control line for help. After explaining what had happened, they urged her to take Luca to the hospital immediately.
What followed was a 16-day hospital stay during which Luca underwent three surgeries on her eyes. Initial attempts by doctors to flush out the chemicals weren’t successful.
Eventually, it was confirmed that Luca had suffered visual impairment from the incident. During her second surgery, doctors discovered an underlying defect in one eye. The third operation involved an amniotic membrane transplant to aid in healing.
Upon discharge, Jodi was told that her daughter’s vision would gradually return over time. However, doctors warned it could take anywhere from six to twelve months for the redness and irritation around her eyes to fully subside.
“There was a point when doctors thought she might need a fourth surgery because she wasn’t opening her eyes,” Jodi shared. “But we were able to gently encourage her, and eventually she did.”
While Luca’s vision in her left eye hasn’t fully returned, Jodi says it’s gradually improving. “She has a slight vision impairment, but it’s getting better slowly.”
Luca’s grandmother added that although doctors are hopeful the damage won’t be permanent, they heard of another young girl who had a similar accident and wasn’t as fortunate she was left with lasting damage to one of her eyes.
Jodi describes the entire ordeal as “pretty traumatic,” admitting it was incredibly difficult watching her daughter suffer through so much pain. hold
Now, she hopes sharing Luca’s story will raise awareness among parents and caregivers and also encourage laundry pod manufacturers to include clearer, more urgent safety instructions on their packaging. hold
Jodi expressed frustration over the product’s safety labeling, saying, “I know companies say to keep these away from kids, but the packet doesn’t say anything about going straight to the hospital it just says ‘seek medical advice.’ That’s not enough. It needs to be clearer and more urgent.”
“I had no idea how serious the injuries could be. You wouldn’t think that direct contact could lead to severe burns, three surgeries, and 16 days in hospital,” she added. “There absolutely needs to be stronger warnings on the packaging.” hold
In response, a spokesperson for Unilever the manufacturer of the laundry tablets Jodi used said: “Consumer safety is of paramount importance to Unilever. Any incident involving children and laundry capsules is one too many.
“Our liquid detergent capsules are not intended for use by children, and all packaging includes child safety closures along with clear warnings on both the front and back.”
The company also confirmed that they had spoken with Jodi regarding Luca’s case and would be conducting a review of the safety warnings on their laundry capsule products sold in Australia.
