Parenting Tips for Your 13-14 Month Old Toddler
Did you know that children between the ages of 10 and 20 months are far more likely to be victims of accidental poisoning than children of other ages? Poisoning most often happens when children have learned to crawl. They get into things and are curious about the world around them, but they have not yet learned what kinds of things are dangerous.
Many things can poison children, including:
- Garden and house plants.
- Colognes, perfumes, hair products, and cosmetics.
- Tobacco, food flavorings, and spices.
- Gasoline, insecticides, roach sprays, and powders.
Many kinds of garden and house plants are poisonous if eaten; oleander and castor bean are especially dangerous and can be fatal. Some plants cause vomiting, others cause changes in children's heart rate, body temperature, or bowel movements.
Know the plants in and around your house. Be careful of plants that have hairy leaves, milky juice or sap, or thorny leaves, fruit or seed pods.
If a child eats one cigarette, it can kill him. To young children, all colored liquid looks like juice and all white powder looks like sugar. Your child needs to be protected from these things.
Give your house regular safety checks. Make sure everything dangerous is locked up or out of reach. Cover electrical outlets. As toddlers learn to climb, they can open cabinets that they could not reach before.
Keep the telephone number of the poison control center, your doctor’s number, and other emergency numbers posted close to your telephone. If your child eats any part of a plant or other poisonous substance, call the poison control center.
National Poison Control Center: 1-800-222-1222 Your Poison Control Center: ________________
In the old days parents used syrup of ipecac for poisoning, but this is not supposed to be used anymore. It was causing more problems than it helped. If your child must have emergency treatment, take a piece of the substance your child has swallowed or the container to the doctor or hospital with you.
