Prevent Childhood Poisoning

You know your child likes to put things in his mouth to taste them. Maybe you don’t know that children will eat poisons even if they taste bad - poisons such as mothballs and drain cleaner. Only as we get older do we learn that bad-tasting things may be harmful.

It’s your job to protect your child from poisons in your home. Here’s a list of some common household products that are poisonous.

IN THE KITCHEN:

Dishwasher soap, oven cleaner, floor and furniture polish, ammonia, lye

IN THE BATHROOM:

Prescription drugs, aspirin, and aspirin substitutes, vitamin and iron pills, tranquilizers, birth control pills, cold and cough medicines, cosmetics, mouthwash, perfume, drain cleaner, disinfectants, rubbing alcohol

IN THE LAUNDRY: Bleach, detergent, fabric softener, stain remover

IN THE STOREROOM AND OTHER ROOMS: Kerosene, lighter fluid, gasoline, paint, paint thinner, turpentine, weed killer, pesticides, rat poison, fertilizer, house plants, garden and yard plants, tobacco, any alcohol, mothballs, paint chips or dust

If your child eats something poisonous, immediately call the Poison Control Center at 800-222-1222 and tell them what your child ate. They will tell you what to do.

Think Ahead to Prevent and Treat Poisoning

• 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 in the United States is 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 are 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. It 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 loses consciousness, call 911.