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Preventing Childhood Poisoning

Poison-Proofing Your Home Tips

Poison-proofing your home is the key to preventing childhood poisonings.

In the case of iron-containing pills or any medicine:

• Always close the container as soon as you've finished using it. Properly secure the child-resistant packaging, and put it away immediately in a place where children can't reach it.
• Keep pills in their original container.
• Keep iron-containing tablets, and all medicines, out of reach--and out of sight--of children.
• Never keep medicines on a counter top or bedside table.
• Follow medicine label directions carefully to avoid accidental overdoses.

Art Supplies:

• When buying art supplies for your children, look for products that are safe.
• Look for the NON-TOXIC label on crayons, markers and paints that is what you want to purchase.

For hazardous products such as gasoline, kerosene, and paint thinners:

• If these products are often kept on hand indefinitely, buy only as much as you need and safely get rid of what you don't use.
• Never transfer these substances to other containers. People often use cups, soft-drink bottles, or milk cartons to store leftover paint thinner or turpentine. This is a bad idea because children associate cups and bottles with food and drink.

* The kitchen and bathroom are the most likely unsafe areas. *

Medicines should never be stored in the bathroom for another reason: a bathroom's warm, moist environment tends to cause changes or disintegration of the product in these rooms.) Any cabinet containing a potentially poisonous item should be locked. Bathrooms with medicines, kitchens with cleaning products, even cigarette butts left out, can be toxic to kids and remember that child-resistant caps are child-resistant, not childproof. The legal definition is that it takes greater than five minutes for 80 percent of 5-year-olds to get into it: that means 20 percent can get in less time! Kids are inventive, and can often figure it out. Info based on FDA.

Alcohol:

Alcohol can cause drunkenness as well as serious childhood poisoning which may lead to seizures, coma, and even death in young children. Children are more sensitive to the toxic effects of alcohol than are adults, and it doesn't take much alcohol to produce such effects. Alcohol-laced products, such as some mouthwashes, aftershaves or colognes, can cause the same problems.

* Garages and utility rooms should also be checked for potential poison hazards.*

Antifreeze, windshield washing fluid, and other products should be stored out of reach in a locked cabinet. Childproof safety latches can be purchased at your local hardware store.

* In the living room or family room: *

Know your plants' names and their poison potential. Although most houseplants are not poisonous, some are. To be on the safe side, keep houseplants out of the reach of young children.

After poison-proofing your home, prepare for childhood poisoning emergencies. Post the numbers of your regional poison control center and your doctor by the phone. Keep syrup of ipecac on hand--safely locked in a cabinet. Never administer any antidote without first checking with your doctor or poison control center.

Signs of Childhood Poisoning

How can you tell if your child has ingested something poisonous? Most poisons, with the exception of lead, work fairly quickly. A key is when the child was otherwise well and in a space of hours develops unusual symptoms:

• They are unable to follow you with their eyes
• They're sleepy before it's their nap time
• Their eyes go around in circles
• Burns around the lips or mouth
• Stains of the substance around the child's mouth, or the smell of a child's breath
• Suspect a possible poisoning if you find an opened or spilled bottle of pills

If you suspect poisoning, remain calm. For medicines, call the nearest poison control center or your physician. For household chemical ingestion, follow first-aid instructions on the label, and then call the poison control center or your doctor. When you call, tell them your child's age, height and weight, existing health conditions, as much as you know about the substance involved, the exposure route (swallowed? inhaled? splashed in the eyes?), and if your child has vomited. If you know what substance the child has ingested, take the remaining solution or bottle with you to the phone when you call.

If you suspect childhood poisoning, call the nearest poison control center or your physician first, and follow their instructions precisely. Call First!! You may not realize what appropriate steps to take. The reality is you need to know the correct steps to take. We want to try and prevent childhood poisoning if all possible, that is the ultimate goal.

* I am not a Expert or Licensed Professional in the field of childhood poisoning. I am a stay at home Mom passing on tips, advice and information that are based on my opinions. Always remember to consult your pediatrician or Poison Control Center with serious questions concerning your child and safety in your home. Some information on this page was obtained from the Federal Drug Administration’s website. Feel free to visit their site for any additional information about poison safety. *

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