Mum flags $20 Kmart playset as dangerous: ‘This could confuse kids’
- Replies 2
Children’s toys are meant to spark imagination, not controversy—but occasionally, a product lands on shelves that raises more questions than joy.
That’s exactly what happened when one Aussie mum spotted something unexpected in a popular toy set from a major retailer.
What unfolded has ignited debate among parents and health professionals alike.
Growing up, many Aussies remember transforming their bedrooms into miniature clinics, diagnosing dolls and siblings alike with plastic thermometers and toy stethoscopes.
Those playsets sparked curiosity and a love for care—something countless kids still enjoy today.
But a popular toy set recently sold at Kmart left one mum—who also worked in health care—more alarmed than amused.
Lauren had been shopping for a toy to gift her friend’s three-year-old son when she came across a 24-piece doctor-themed playset at Kmart. At just $20, the colourful kit looked like great value for money, packed with child-friendly instruments meant to inspire pretend play.
At first glance, Lauren was impressed.
‘My first thought was that the toy was great. Good value for money and a fantastic toy, until I got home and saw the fake but very realistic pill packet, and I was shocked that it had been included,’ she shared.
That one detail—a mock-up of a real medication packet—completely changed her view of the product. As both a parent and a healthcare worker, she felt it crossed a line.
The toy in question included what looked almost identical to a blister pack of Panadol. While other items in the set were clearly toys, this one bore such a strong resemblance to the real thing that Lauren feared even some adults might struggle to tell them apart at a glance.
‘As a healthcare worker I believe this toy can be a fantastic learning tool for young children, it opens them up to the amazing work that goes on in healthcare, however with this particular toy inside the pack, I believe it will encourage children to see pills and medication as a plaything rather than something serious,’ she explained.
Lauren opted to return the playset and flagged the issue with Kmart, where she was told the retail giant also manufactured that particular product.
In her view, education around medication safety needed to be taken as seriously as lessons around drugs, alcohol and online behaviour—even for toddlers.
‘I believe education around the safety of medication is key here, much like we teach children safety around drugs, alcohol and social media. The unfortunate side to this is that not all parents/caregivers do teach their children this safety, but even for those that do, that can be a lot to ask most 3 year olds to fully understand and comprehend the consequences that would come with ingesting or playing with medication,’ she said.
Lauren acknowledged that the responsibility of keeping medication out of children’s reach ultimately fell on adults—but said the realistic toy created unnecessary risk.
‘Even though it is 100% adult’s responsibility to keep medication out of children’s reach, any parent knows that children have this fantastic ability to get into places and things they shouldn’t and it only takes seconds for an incident to occur. I don’t believe I would have so much of an issue with the product if there was an obvious difference between the real and fake, like the rest of the set. I believe if both products were laid on a table, even some adults would struggle to tell the difference at a quick glance. It is not worth our children’s safety and shouldn’t have been included in the set to begin with.’
Source: TikTok/lauren.gates91
After posting about the item on social media, Lauren asked if others thought she was overreacting. Comments quickly poured in—many from people who backed her concerns.
‘Yeah that’s too real, I would remove it or at least let the parents know so they can make a decision,’ one wrote.
‘I’m with you! It should be there as they wouldn’t tell the difference and then could be taking parents tablets not suitable,’ said another.
Others flagged how hard they’d worked to instil a sense of caution around medicine in their own children—and how this toy could undo that.
‘That would send my kids signals where I’ve worked so hard to instill safety with meds, which would be undone. I’m ok with the caring parts of our profession as play, but not medicine. There’s so much risk, it’s not a game/toy.’
‘As a paramedic, I couldn’t agree more. I’m so shocked they included this,’ another user added.
Of course, not everyone saw the toy as a serious concern. A few suggested the pill replica could simply be removed by a caregiver before handing over the toy set to a child.
‘Have u seen the toys that us 80s kids lived through? Sometimes you need to leave decisions up to the parents,’ one person said.
Another added: ‘It’s a hard one, I think that a more unrealistic looking version of medicine would have been better.’
Kmart, in response to Lauren’s feedback, apologised and thanked her for raising the concern.
‘Safety and age-appropriate design are top priorities for us, and we take customer feedback seriously. Please be assured that your comments will be shared directly with our Buying Team for review and consideration in future product development and selection,’ they wrote in a message.
The item has sold out in many stores, but Lauren hoped her experience might spark a wider conversation—or better yet, a product recall.
Kmart has been contacted for comments.
With so many of us having raised children or helped care for grandkids, do you think today’s toys are becoming too realistic for their own good? Let us know your thoughts in the comments.
In a similar vein, safety around children’s products continues to be a hot topic—especially for grandparents who keep toys on hand for visiting little ones.
Recently, the ACCC stepped in to remove a popular item from shelves due to serious safety concerns.
If you’ve got grandkids around, this is one story you won’t want to miss.
Read more: Have grandkids at home? You’ll want to know what the ACCC just pulled off shelves
That’s exactly what happened when one Aussie mum spotted something unexpected in a popular toy set from a major retailer.
What unfolded has ignited debate among parents and health professionals alike.
Growing up, many Aussies remember transforming their bedrooms into miniature clinics, diagnosing dolls and siblings alike with plastic thermometers and toy stethoscopes.
Those playsets sparked curiosity and a love for care—something countless kids still enjoy today.
But a popular toy set recently sold at Kmart left one mum—who also worked in health care—more alarmed than amused.
Kmart toy sparks safety concerns among parents. Image source: TikTok/lauren.gates91
Lauren had been shopping for a toy to gift her friend’s three-year-old son when she came across a 24-piece doctor-themed playset at Kmart. At just $20, the colourful kit looked like great value for money, packed with child-friendly instruments meant to inspire pretend play.
At first glance, Lauren was impressed.
‘My first thought was that the toy was great. Good value for money and a fantastic toy, until I got home and saw the fake but very realistic pill packet, and I was shocked that it had been included,’ she shared.
That one detail—a mock-up of a real medication packet—completely changed her view of the product. As both a parent and a healthcare worker, she felt it crossed a line.
The toy in question included what looked almost identical to a blister pack of Panadol. While other items in the set were clearly toys, this one bore such a strong resemblance to the real thing that Lauren feared even some adults might struggle to tell them apart at a glance.
‘As a healthcare worker I believe this toy can be a fantastic learning tool for young children, it opens them up to the amazing work that goes on in healthcare, however with this particular toy inside the pack, I believe it will encourage children to see pills and medication as a plaything rather than something serious,’ she explained.
Lauren opted to return the playset and flagged the issue with Kmart, where she was told the retail giant also manufactured that particular product.
In her view, education around medication safety needed to be taken as seriously as lessons around drugs, alcohol and online behaviour—even for toddlers.
‘I believe education around the safety of medication is key here, much like we teach children safety around drugs, alcohol and social media. The unfortunate side to this is that not all parents/caregivers do teach their children this safety, but even for those that do, that can be a lot to ask most 3 year olds to fully understand and comprehend the consequences that would come with ingesting or playing with medication,’ she said.
Lauren acknowledged that the responsibility of keeping medication out of children’s reach ultimately fell on adults—but said the realistic toy created unnecessary risk.
‘Even though it is 100% adult’s responsibility to keep medication out of children’s reach, any parent knows that children have this fantastic ability to get into places and things they shouldn’t and it only takes seconds for an incident to occur. I don’t believe I would have so much of an issue with the product if there was an obvious difference between the real and fake, like the rest of the set. I believe if both products were laid on a table, even some adults would struggle to tell the difference at a quick glance. It is not worth our children’s safety and shouldn’t have been included in the set to begin with.’
Source: TikTok/lauren.gates91
After posting about the item on social media, Lauren asked if others thought she was overreacting. Comments quickly poured in—many from people who backed her concerns.
‘Yeah that’s too real, I would remove it or at least let the parents know so they can make a decision,’ one wrote.
‘I’m with you! It should be there as they wouldn’t tell the difference and then could be taking parents tablets not suitable,’ said another.
Others flagged how hard they’d worked to instil a sense of caution around medicine in their own children—and how this toy could undo that.
‘That would send my kids signals where I’ve worked so hard to instill safety with meds, which would be undone. I’m ok with the caring parts of our profession as play, but not medicine. There’s so much risk, it’s not a game/toy.’
‘As a paramedic, I couldn’t agree more. I’m so shocked they included this,’ another user added.
Of course, not everyone saw the toy as a serious concern. A few suggested the pill replica could simply be removed by a caregiver before handing over the toy set to a child.
‘Have u seen the toys that us 80s kids lived through? Sometimes you need to leave decisions up to the parents,’ one person said.
Another added: ‘It’s a hard one, I think that a more unrealistic looking version of medicine would have been better.’
Kmart, in response to Lauren’s feedback, apologised and thanked her for raising the concern.
‘Safety and age-appropriate design are top priorities for us, and we take customer feedback seriously. Please be assured that your comments will be shared directly with our Buying Team for review and consideration in future product development and selection,’ they wrote in a message.
The item has sold out in many stores, but Lauren hoped her experience might spark a wider conversation—or better yet, a product recall.
Kmart has been contacted for comments.
With so many of us having raised children or helped care for grandkids, do you think today’s toys are becoming too realistic for their own good? Let us know your thoughts in the comments.
In a similar vein, safety around children’s products continues to be a hot topic—especially for grandparents who keep toys on hand for visiting little ones.
Recently, the ACCC stepped in to remove a popular item from shelves due to serious safety concerns.
If you’ve got grandkids around, this is one story you won’t want to miss.
Read more: Have grandkids at home? You’ll want to know what the ACCC just pulled off shelves
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