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A Winston-Salem family is warning others about the risks of water beads after their son accidentally swallowed one.

Water beads are sold as children's toys and marketed online as sensory toys. They are also marketed as items used in vases and gardens.

When the small balls, the size of marbles, are placed in water, they can grow up to 100-200 times their size depending on the brand of the water beads.

Because the beads look like candy, children may be tempted to swallow them. There have been reported cases where children have also put them in their ears.

According to the American Academy of Pediatrics, these sensory toys are becoming a growing issue among young children.

The U.S. Consumer Product Safety Commission reported a young child suffered permanent hearing loss after placing beads in their ears in 2016. In 2012 and 2013, deaths of children overseas and injuries in the U.S. prompted the CPSC to issue a voluntary recall of several types of water-absorbing balls, beads, and toys shaped like fruit and animals, the AAP reported.

And another case recently happened in Winston-Salem, North Carolina.

WXII 12 News talked with Kasey and Mike Odom Thursday afternoon. They have three children.

They said they threw a birthday party for their 2-year-old son Tate on May 21.

About 10 adults and one child came over to help celebrate their baby boy's special day.

Kasey and Mike said all of the adults were watching Tate and the children

Later that evening, Kasey said their son lost his appetite and began throwing up several times.

At first, Kasey said she thought her son caught a virus but learned no one from the party became sick.

"He’s not one to get sick," she said. "And he’s also one to eat all the time, and when this child is not eating, something is terribly terribly wrong."

Kasey said she remembered she had cleaned up after the party and saw water beads. She said she asked her son if he had swallowed one, and he said yes.

"I was kind of terrified of how we were going to get that out because I knew they can grow up to two inches," Kasey, the mother said. "And what does that process look like? And he’s two. So is he telling the truth? Like do I put him through all of this to figure out, is that what happened?"

Kasey and Mike took their son to a hospital.

Doctors confirmed a water bead was lodged near Tate's stomach.

"It’s been sitting for 24 hours," said Mike, the father. "We had some in the bathroom and thought to myself, holy cow, how big had it grown inside his body having that exposure to the water and stuff?"

Tate underwent surgery and doctors removed the water bead that grew about two inches wide.

The surgery was a success.

However, Kasey and Mike said they couldn't move on from this incident, just yet.

On Tuesday, Kasey made a Facebook post about their experience and warned other families about the water beads and risks among young children.

The Facebook post received more than 800 shares as of Thursday.

Kasey said, "Our main goal from this is to make sure this doesn’t happen to anyone else."

Tate is doing well and is in good health.

Kasey and Mike said that no one else from the party was hurt.

According to the American Academy of Pediatrics, the following signs may indicate that your child may have swallowed water beads:

Children's Wisconsin shared the following advice to keep children safe when playing with water beads:

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