Mum said son almost died after drinking iced slushy

Four-year-old Albie became unresponsive after suffering glycerol intolerance

A mum said her young son almost died when he collapsed after consuming an iced slushy drink.

Four-year-old Albie, from Nuneaton, Warwickshire, became unresponsive after having the small, strawberry-flavoured drink while he was out bowling with a friend.

His mum Beth said that when her youngster began scratching himself and appearing to hallucinate, she took him to hospital where medics found his blood sugar and heart rate had dropped dramatically.

The 24-year-old and her partner Fred, also 24, were later told their child had suffered an episode of intolerance to the substance glycerol, leaving them angry about the drink's contents and calling for change to industry guidelines.

Events unfolded when Beth took Albie and his friend to a bowling alley after school on 13 October, where she bought each of them a slushy.

She said her son had previously drank slushies, adding it was a “nice little treat” for him.

But about half an hour later on the drive home, Albie started getting tired and agitated, which Beth initially put down to a long week at school.

Then, after dropping off Albie's friend, Beth and Fred noticed their son began exhibiting strange behaviours, including the scratching and what seemed like hallucinations.

She said: "It was a really strange experience. He kept screaming 'no' and 'leave me alone' in his car seat. He was screaming then going floppy again.

"I thought 'maybe he has a virus and is agitated' but he started clawing at himself and couldn't keep himself awake. He wasn't responding."

Beth had to rush her son Albie to hospital

Beth took Albie to A&E at Nuneaton's George Eliot Hospital. From there, he was taken by ambulance to the high-dependency unit at University Hospital, Coventry, where he stayed for three days before recovering and being brought home.

It was not until further tests were done at Birmingham Children’s Hospital recently that Beth and Fred were told the issue had been glycerol intolerance as a result of the drink.

'We were shocked'

In August 2023, the Food Standard Agency (FSA) issued new voluntary industry guidance on glycerol in slush-ice drinks, advising that they should not be sold to children under four years of age.

After high levels of exposure, glycerol intoxication can cause shock, hypoglycaemia and loss of consciousness, according to the government body.

Beth said: "We were shocked. He'd had slushies so many times before. Why had he only had a reaction now?

"I was angry that it was something so simple. I'm a parent that's conscious of what her child consumes.”

She added of slushies: "This is something that every child has which is marketed towards children at theme parks, bowling, cinemas - that drink is always there.

"They need to raise the limit on the guidelines. I don't think they should be sold to under-10s."

She said without that change, she feared other parents could experience a similar ordeal.

"We nearly lost our son's life," she said. "We've never experienced anything like this before, he's always been a fit and healthy child."

She added: He was a dead weight when I carried him through the door [of the hospital], he was unconscious.

"They were shaking [him], trying to wake him up but he wasn't responding.”