Kiwi toddler Arlo has been left covered in scratches and cuts after his Kmart cup shattered into sharp shards of plastic.
Kiwi toddler Arlo has been left covered in scratches and cuts after his Kmart cup shattered into sharp shards of plastic.
It was a normal day for Auckland-based mum Emmah Peter and her son Arlo.
Sipping milk from his Kmart reusable sippy cup, the toddler was steady on his feet walking from his activities table to the couch when suddenly disaster struck.
Two-year-old Arlo’s foot caught on the lip of the mat which saw him immediately fall face first into the floor and land directly on his sippy cup. The cup shattered into sharp pieces which smashed into his face, causing multiple bloody cuts and scratches.
Experiencing a range of heartbreaking emotions, Peter tells the Herald how the next few seconds played out.
“My first reaction was fear that he was badly injured, then shock looking at the shards of plastic in the puddle of milk on the floor, then guilt because I was so close to catching him but not close enough.”
After getting him cleaned up and making sure he was okay, the Kiwi mum said thankfully, her son didn’t need professional medical attention. Despite the cuts being concerningly close to his eyes, they were only “about as deep as a cat scratch”, but she was concerned the same, or worse, could happen to another child.
Little Arlo was covered in cuts after his Kmart cup shattered, stabbing him in the face.
Taking to New Zealand’s unofficial Kmart & The Warehouse hacks NZ Facebook page, Peter was quick to warn other parents of her horrifying ordeal, sharing a picture of Arlo and the shattered cup, she wrote, “PSA to all parents of littles. If your little one uses these cups from Kmart.”
Explaining what had happened, Peter added, “Please note how close several of the marks are to his eye, as well as his nose, lip and cheek and forehead. This is partly my fault for letting him walk around with his drink. I didn’t realise plastic could shatter like this.”
She signed off the post writing, “I just wanted to make everyone aware, this could have gone so bad.”
Fans of the page quickly flooded the comment section sharing their concerns and well-wishes for the little boy while some shared their own experience with Kmart plastic items. One person said, “I had an incident with the same cups thankfully it didn’t shatter like that but don’t blame yourself, we wouldn’t think plastic would be that dangerous and just smash.”
Another said, “My daughter has dropped two of them from her high chair and they’ve smashed from just that high lol never again will I buy those. Threw the rest out. Not risking it.”
Following the incident, Peter contacted Kmart’s customer service team about the cups she purchased at the end of May and to let them know about her frightening experience.
The retail company quickly replied asking the Kiwi mum to bring the remains of the cup and any others left from the same pack into her local store so they can send them away for product testing. Peter explains, “I only have two because the other three have cracked from my son throwing them on the floor or stepping on them.”
The cup is currently sold in a pack of six at Kmart.
However, she still plans to return the remaining cups from the pack along with the shattered one to Kmart this afternoon.
The reusable cups with hard spout lids are currently sold in packs of six on the Kmart website, with the description reading “This pack of reusable cups with hard spout lids is perfect for your little one who is learning to drink on their own.”
The website also states they are recommended for children 6 months or over, and are microwave and dishwasher safe. The listing includes a warning “Continuous and prolonged sucking of fluids will cause tooth decay. Follow usage instructions carefully.”
It does not make any mention of potential injuries if the product breaks.
Speaking to the Herald, a Kmart spokesperson said, “The safety of our customers is always our number one priority. While this product complies with all required safety standards and is regularly tested, we are now working with this customer directly so that we can conduct a full investigation and review.”
Following her frightening experience, Peter is glad her son is okay but is cautious of the fact that other children who drink from the same type of cup could have an accident a lot worse than Arlo’s.
“I would advise other parents to keep an eye on their little ones when using hard plastic,” she says adding “and to sit them down when they’re drinking as I should have.”
Lillie Rohan is an Auckland-based reporter covering lifestyle and entertainment stories who joined the Herald in 2020. She specialises in all things relationships and dating, great Taylor Swift ticket wars and TV shows you simply cannot miss out on.
