Store poisonous products in a locked cabinet and out of your child’s reach. Return products to the locked cabinet immediately after you use them. Look up the phone number for your Poison Control Center. Write it down and keep it by every phone in the house. The universal number for the United States is 1-800-222-1222. Never put a poison in food or drink containers. Someone may think it is food and eat it. Watch out. Other people’s homes may not be childproof. Don’t take medicine in front of your young children. Never tell children their medicine is candy. This will help them think it’s OK to eat medicines as if they were candy. They might eat the medicine and hurt themselves. Do not use syrup of ipecac. In years past, first aid kits contained syrup of ipecac. The syrup of ipecac was used to make children vomit or throw up the poison. Now doctors feel this can do more harm than good, so do not use it. Research has shown that vomiting will not help a child who has swallowed a poisonous substance. Activated charcoal is still used by hospital emergency rooms. If your child is having convulsions, stops breathing, or looses consciousness, call 911.

Browse related Faqs by tag: parenting