Parenting Tips for Your 15-16 Month Old Toddler

The main cause of lead poisoning is chewing nonfood items that contain lead, such as peeling paint or plaster in an old home, colored newsprint and comics, toys, and furniture painted with lead-based paint, or soil contaminated by leaded gasoline, or certain types of crayons.

Other sources of lead poisoning are some folk remedies. Only give your child medications prescribed by a doctor. If you renovate your house or refinish furniture, be careful that your child does not get dust or chips from the old paint in his mouth.

Children with lead poisoning don’t always look or act sick, at least not at first. Lead poisoning often shows up in simple things like tiredness, grouchiness, upset stomach, headaches, or loss of appetite. Sometimes there are no signs at all until serious damage has occurred.

Since toddlers put everything in their mouths, supervise them carefully. Remove all items in your home and yard that may contain lead. If you think your child has eaten lead, ask your doctor to check your child for lead poisoning. The environmental protection agency has more information on lead poisoning in the home.