Keep poisons out of sight. Keep children in sight. As soon as toddlers learn to walk, curiosity sets their bodies in motion – almost constant motion. Without a microscope or a laboratory, these junior scientists rely on a five-step discovery process.  Step 1: See it. Step 2: Get to it. Step 3: Pick it up. Step 4: Shake it, rattle it, and if possible, open it. Step 5: Taste it. Pet food, a candy wrapper, a cigarette butt – if it is within reach, it is fair game. The kitchen, the bathroom, the garage – since the toddler has no sense of safe or unsafe, each room offers endless possibilities. Dishwasher detergent, grandma’s heart medicine, turpentine – even if it smells bad or tastes yucky, the toddler puts it through the five-step discovery process. So much to see.  So much to taste. Ask any emergency room doctor or the poison control center for other examples that will break your heart. Keep poisons out of sight. Keep children in sight.  No exceptions! No excuses! No regrets!

The Size of the Problem Nationwide

• Every 30 seconds, a childhood poisoning occurs in the United States. In 1998, more than 1.1 million unintentional poisonings among children ages 1 to 5 were reported.
• About 90 percent of poisonings occur in the home. The majority of childhood poisonings occur in children younger than 5.
• Among children 5 and under, 60 percent of poisonings are by household products such as cosmetics, cleaning substances, plants, toys, pesticides, art supplies, and alcohol.
• Among children 4 and younger, about one-third of poisonings by prescription medication involve the grandparent’s or great-grandparent’s medication.
• Iron or multi-vitamins with iron are responsible for 30 percent of child deaths due to medication poisoning.

Source: National SAFE KIDS Campaign

Healthy Habits: Poison Preparedness

Keep the Universal Poison Center number (1-800-222-1222) by every phone in your home. This number will automatically connect you to your local poison center. If you suspect poisoning, call immediately.

Poison control centers manage millions of poisonings a year. Their telephone instructions make it possible for 3 out of every 4 childhood poisonings to be managed at home. These centers prevent about 50,000 hospitalizations and 400,000 trips to doctors’ offices each year.

Keep a bottle of syrup of ipecac on hand for each child in your family. Store syrup of ipecac with your other medicines in a locked closet or cabinet. Do not give syrup of ipecac unless instructed by the poison control center or your doctor.

Syrup of ipecac is a medication that causes vomiting by irritating the stomach. It is available without a prescription at most pharmacies.

Useful Info: Poison Safety and the Child with Special Needs

Some children with special needs continue the toddler’s habit of exploring objects by mouthing them. Children who continue to mouth objects are frequently unaware that they are in danger of choking or poisoning.

Every place that your child receives care should be regularly checked for objects that are dangerous. Every person who cares for your child should be aware of the need for increased caution and the importance of keeping items out of reach.

Safety Habits: Protect Your Child from Household Poisons

Store all medications, including vitamins and nonprescription drugs, in a locked closet or cabinet.
Return medication to storage immediately after use. Purchase medications with child-resistant safety caps.

Never call medicine “candy.” Don’t take medication in front children. Ask all guests to keep their medications out of sight and out of reach of children.

Do not store medications and household products with food.

Store alcoholic beverages and the following household products out of reach, preferably under lock: cleaning fluids, detergents, bleaches, insect spray, weed killer, fertilizer, gasoline, car wax, and turpentine. Store all products in their original containers.

Lead Poisoning

• About 900,000 children ages 1 to 5 have blood lead levels high enough to cause problems with growth, development and intelligence.
• The most common cause of lead poisoning among children is dust from lead-based paint.

Source: National SAFE KIDS Campaign

Safety Habits: Protect Your Child from Lead Poisoning

Ask your doctor about blood lead screening if your child lives in or regularly visits a house or child care facility built before 1950 or a home built before 1978 that is being remodeled or has been remodeled in the last 6 months.
Also check with your doctor if your child has a sibling or playmate who has or had a high blood lead level.

Source: American Academy of Pediatrics

Carbon Monoxide Poisoning

• In 1998, more than 2,000 children ages 5 and younger were treated for carbon monoxide poisoning.
• Each year, nearly 30 children ages 14 and younger die from carbon monoxide poisoning.

Source: National SAFE KIDS Campaign

Safety Habits: Protect Your Child from Carbon Monoxide Poisoning

Install carbon monoxide alarms near bedrooms and on each floor of your home. Make sure that space heaters, furnaces, fireplaces, and wood-burning stoves are properly vented and inspected each year.