Temporary tattoos have hidden dangers..

Kiddo was at a friend's birthday party and got a lovely glittery temporary tattoo. I said yes knowing that she's had reactions in the past, but thinking to myself, 'Remember to wash it off later...' Well, what d'ya know, what with rushing to pack for today's Sambolo trip and dashing to the store at 8pm to get daddy a snorkel mask, I TOTALLY FORGOT!! Ugh! *smack self in the head* Added to that it was Daddy who did the bathing, so I didn't even see her till she was all covered up in her PJs.

This morning, kiddo woke up complaining of a tummy ache and when I felt the warm forehead, my heart just sank... I knew it! A forgotten tattoo! Out came the nail polish remover and thus commenced our 15min cleaning session. She was subsequently sent down for breakfast and instructed to drink lots and lots of water to, hopefully, flush out whatever chemical it was that was causing all this. Happily the tummy ache and fever settled within an hour of having the tattoo removed.

Googling temporary tattoos was an eye opener. Nowhere does it list the chemicals that go into them, it just says dyes should be US FDA approved. Then there are the 'water soluble slip layers' and the 'contact adhesives'. A whole lot of 'uh?'.

This has happened several times in the past. At first it was only after parties when we put down the tummy ache and fever to over excitement and junk food the previous day. The fever and tummy ache would go on for several days, probably until the tattoos eventually faded, but I didn't link the two before. Then we got a pack of these tattoos for fun and she had the SAME reactions at home. I could not believe it! But it happened EVERY SINGLE TIME we put it on! Since then, I've been pretty strict, no tattoos except for parties, and they get washed off the moment we get home. Unfortunately last night it got left on, and she had a whole night of marinating in those chemicals. Hopefully we got it off in time and her beach holiday won't be spoiled. Note to self... parties = tattoos! Inspect and WASH!