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Preventing Poisoning
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Mmmmm. A slice of cake with a scoop of ice cream. Now that sounds good. A bottle of aspirin and a spray can of cleaner. Now that is a recipe for trouble. While there are potentially poisonous items located throughout the house, parents can take steps to protect children from ingesting a dangerous substance while maintaining a kid-friendly environment.
Poisons can come in an infinite variety of shapes, sizes and forms. Some common poisons for children are household products, such as carpet cleaners, bug sprays, mouthwash, disinfectants, shoe polish, lawn and garden chemicals and makeup. Parents should keep these items locked up or out of sight and away from children.
“Childproof” medicine bottles are really just child resistant, so be sure to keep those out of reach as well. Do not take medicine in front of children since they may try to imitate you and avoid telling your child that medicine tastes like candy. Keep all liquids and pills in original containers. Store bottles of alcohol in a locked cabinet and keep children away from poisonous house plants (or buy nonpoisonous plants). Parents should be aware of other hazards in the home, including poisoning from carbon monoxide, which can cause headaches, fatigue or dizziness, and lead based paint, which affects motor control, memory and concentration.
You can take some first-aid steps to treating poisoning. If the poison has been swallowed, do not give ipecac syrup, or anything to eat or drink. For inhaled poison, get your child to fresh air. Skin exposed to poison should be rinsed thoroughly with water for 10 minutes and contaminated clothing removed. Poisons in the eye should be flushed with lukewarm water for 15 minutes (do not try to pry the eye open). In all cases, if your child has ingested a poison, call Poison Control toll-free at 1-800-222-1222 (except if your child is unresponsive or not breathing, call 9-1-1 immediately).
Even if you are not sure if your child has ingested a poison, do not wait for symptoms to appear. There is no charge to call Poison Control and experts are available day and night to answer your questions.
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