Kylie and Tony Cravens of Georgetown, Illinois sent this warning to Love What Matters, urgently warning parents about these makeup kits. Their 3-year-old daughter, Lydia, went from being 100% healthy to suffering horrible allergic reactions from a child cosmetic kit they’d purchased for her.
According to her parents, the poor little girl experienced swollen eyes and blisters and a rash that spread over her body as a result of using this kit.
“I’m making this post because I feel like it is very important to remind parents to be very careful about what we allow our children to have. For Tony and I this was definitely an eye-opener, and we will be more cautious about acknowledging ingredients and educating ourselves on what is good and bad before purchasing from here on out.
“About eight days ago we bought this makeup set from the Family Dollar here in town. Thinking it was a harmless and non-toxic kids makeup set, and having bought Lydia this same type of thing, just a different brand, we never imagined after spending the day applying it to her eyes and lips that our worst nightmare would come true.
“There are six different chemicals in this makeup that are commonly known to cause an allergic reaction. Lydia unfortunately was one of those people allergic, and for the past week, she has been going through a severe allergic reaction SO SEVERE she had to be admitted to Carle pediatrics in Champaign. In 24 hours, our little girl went from 100% healthy to having her eyes swollen and blistered shut with a rash all over her body, that we would have to apply cold packs to every 30 minutes or so because her skin was burning. She was unable to eat much for days because of the blistering and cracking of her lips.
“Lydia has been through so much these past few days. Good news is we are home from the hospital today and she is doing better!!!
“PLEASE be aware of what you are letting your babies have… ESPECIALLY kids cosmetics…. so this doesn’t happen to your child.”
Just two days later, Lydia’s father, Tony, added a new heartbreaking post about his daughter’s health. It’s hard to read. You can feel the helplessness and anguish of this father.
“I usually don’t do this. It’s usually my wife that does the posting, but as I sit here and watch my baby girl sleep, I can’t do anything but weep uncontrollably. All the tears that I have watched my baby girl cry, all the screams in pain and all the times she would say, ‘I hate being sick daddy’ — I’m not man enough for this. I don’t wanna hear any more screams or ring out any more cold rags to lay across my baby’s face or her back. I just want this to be over. I wanna wake up in the morning and see her get out of bed on her own, or the first thing she wants to do is play kitchen. I want to see her smile again.”
Kylie told Love what Matters she knows many parents who buy these products for their children. They don’t ever imagine something horrific happening to them, “like what has happened to our Lydia.”
“Please!!! Check ingredients thoroughly before purchasing. If you’re going to allow things like this for your children, just know what it is you’re exposing them to,” she said.
This story has a happy ending. On March 22nd, the cravens provided LWM with an update on Lydia. Her recovery has been slow, but better each day.
“I wasn’t going to post anymore but after thinking about all the love and support everyone showed my beautiful Lydia, it wouldn’t be right to do that. I also wanna give a very special thank you for all the prayers. He does listen, and I truly believe that’s how we got thru this. God bless you all and thank you.
“Ps. Lydia is doing great we have had big improvements in the last 24 hrs. Still has some itching but the burning is gone. Hives are still on her face and neck but those too are starting to fade. SHE IS SMILING AGAIN.”
I wasn't going to post anymore but after thinking about all the love and support everyone showed my beautiful lydia it…
Posted by Kylie Jo Cravens on Thursday, March 22, 2018
A spokesperson for Family Dollar told Love What Matters they have “not heard from the family directly” but are “pleased to hear that Lydia is recovering from her allergic reaction.”
“In 2016, we purchased a supplier’s product matching the photo in social media. In accordance with our procedures, our supplier’s product had been independently tested for toxic chemicals,” Randy Guiler wrote in an email. “Upon being made aware of this incident, we re-confirmed that test results showed that no toxic chemicals were found in these makeup kits. We have received no other complaints or claims of allergic reactions related to this product.”