Tips and Information on Preventing Poisoning in Children

There are many tips medical professionals can give new mothers such as poisoning prevention in small children. Here are some tips that over my years in nursing I have shared with some of my new parents.

Poisoning Prevention in small children.

Never refer to any medicine as candy with small children. Many parents will try anything when giving medicine to small children however referring to any medicine as candy or yummy can cause the child to try and take another dose when your not looking. Vitamins are one of the biggest problems, many parents will give cute vitamins that taste good and then have other medications out and the child doesn't know the difference in their vitamin and their dad's hypertension medication.

Discard any unused medication properly. Many small children may see you throw away a pill bottle and be tempted to pick it up. Discard unused medications by flushing them and then discard the empty container safely.

Replace safety caps on medication promptly. Many older people have safety caps but once they get them off they sit the cap back on without tightening it back so they don't have to go through the trouble of opening them again. However this can quickly cause a poisoning hazard when the grandchildren come around. Keep medication tops on the medications and keep any medications away from small hands.

Never give medications to babies to shake as a toy. Some people believe it or not give small children medication containers to shake when they don't have any other toy to give them. Even if you supervise the child at all times you are sending the wrong message and a small child when not being supervised can pick up medications to play with at the blink of an eye. As well as just because your containers are properly sealed doesn't mean that if the baby or toddler goes to another home to visit their containers will be. Always keep medications away from children.

Keep medications in their original packaging, this provides quick access to vital information if the medication is accidentally taken, letting you know immediately the dosage and name which can be life saving in an emergency.

Keep a bottle of Ipecac in a medicine cabinet at all times when you have small children. Ipecac induces vomiting however you should always call the Poison Control Center to get proper instructions for any accidental poisoning. Some poisons require that you not induce vomiting. Keep the emergency number to the Poison Control Center handy at all times when you have small children around and this includes at grandma's house or at the babysitter's.

Properly store household cleaning products, including laundry products away from small hands. Many people think of poisons as only liquids however many children can be severely harmed from caustic materials or other poison dry materials such as detergents.

Keep pesticides, kerosene and other materials properly stored at all times. Many garages pose many poison hazards for small children. If you have small children they should never be left alone around gardening, lawn or car materials, remember it only takes a moment for them to get into something they shouldn't.

References for this article include: healthpages.org/starting-baby-solid-foods/preventing-poisoning-choking-baby/
www.poison.org/aboutUs/
www.kdheks.gov/news/web_archives/2010/03122010.htm