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Synonyms: poison, child, medicine bottles, safety, household, cleaning products, fertilizers, poisoned, swallowed, poison control
What should I know about poisoning?
Children of any age can get extremely sick if they come in contact with medicines, household products, pesticides, chemicals, or cosmetics.
Most children who come in contact with these things are not permanently hurt if they are treated right away.
How do I prevent my child from being poisoned?
Most poisonings occur when parents are busy with other household activities.
While you are busy doing other things, your child may be exploring closets or under bathroom sinks, where dangerous household items are often stored.
Children are at risk for poisoning because they like to put things into their mouths and taste them.
Many household products can be poisonous if swallowed, if in contact with the skin or eyes, or if inhaled.
Remember to always keep a close eye on your child.
Watch your child even more closely during stressful times and when you are away from home.
At friends or relatives' homes, medicines may be left out and within a child’s reach on counters or tables, or in suitcases, bags, or purses.
The best way to keep your child safe from poisoning is to lock up dangerous household items (as listed below) and all medication.
Cleaning products, like dishwasher and laundry detergents, bleach, ammonia, and furniture polish, mothballs, drain cleaners, lye.
Antifreeze, paint thinners, and windshield washer fluid
Gasoline, kerosene, and lamp oil
Pesticides, weed killers
Alcohol
Batteries (especially button or coin batteries, and any toys or technology such as hearing aids or key fobs that use such batteries).
Be sure to dispose of batteries in a secure location where children cannot access them in the trash can.
Always replace safety caps immediately after use.
Always store medicines and household products in their original containers.
Children can get confused if you put them in containers that were once used for food, especially empty drink bottles, cans, or cups.
Many dangerous items look like food or drinks. For example, your child may mistake powdered dish soap for sugar or lemon liquid cleaner for lemonade.
Teach children not to eat or drink anything unless it is given by an adult.
What do I do if my child has been poisoned?
Call 1-800-222-1222 if you have a poisoning emergency.
1-800-222-1222 is a nationwide toll-free number that will connect you right away to your nearest poison center.
A poison expert in your area is available 24 hours a day, 7 days a week.
Also call if you have a question about poison or poison prevention. You can find prevention information at http://poisonhelp.hrsa.gov.
Be prepared. Post the Poison Help number by every phone in your home and add the number to your cell phone contacts. Be sure that caregivers and babysitters know this number.
How can I make my house safe?
Kitchen
Store medicines, cleaners, lye, furniture polish, dishwasher soap, and other dangerous products in locked cabinets, out of sight and reach of children.
If you must store items under the sink, use safety latches that lock every time you close the cabinet.
Bathroom
Keep all medicines in containers with safety caps. But remember, these caps are child resistant, not childproof, so store them in a locked cabinet.
Get rid of leftover or expired medicines.
Take medicine to your police department if it has a drug collection program. You can search for a drop box at https://apps2.deadiversion.usdoj.gov/pubdispsearch.
Check if your community has a household hazardous waste disposal program that takes medicines.
Mix medicines with coffee grounds or kitty litter, seal tightly in a plastic bag or container, and discard where children cannot get them. Remember to remove labels with personal information from prescription medicines.
Only flush medicines down the toilet or pour down the drain if the patient information materials say it is OK to do so.
Store everyday items, like toothpaste, soap, and shampoo, in a different cabinet from dangerous products.
Take medicine where children cannot watch you; they may try to copy you.
Call medicine by its correct name. You do not want to confuse your child by calling it candy.
Check the label every time you give medicine. This will help you to be sure you are giving the right medicine in the right amount to the right person.
Mistakes are more common in the middle of the night, so always turn on a light when using any medicine.
Get rid of substances used for old-fashioned treatments such as oil of wintergreen, boric acid, ammoniated mercury, oil of turpentine, and camphorated oil.
Garage and Basement
Keep paints, varnishes, thinners, pesticides, and fertilizers in a locked cabinet.
Read labels on all household products before you buy them. Try to find the safest products for the job. Buy only what you need to use right away.
Open the garage door before starting your car to prevent carbon monoxide poisoning.
Be sure that coal, wood, or kerosene stoves and appliances are in good working order. If you smell gas, turn off the stove or gas burner, leave the house, and call the gas company.
Entire House
Install smoke alarms and carbon monoxide detectors. Contact your local fire department for information on how many you need and where to install them.
Keep houseplants on a high shelf or other location that is out of young children’s reach.
Important Information About Syrup of Ipecac
Syrup of ipecac is a drug that was used in the past to make children vomit (or throw up) after they had swallowed a poison.
Although this may seem to make sense, this is not a good poison treatment.
You should not make a child vomit in any way, including giving them syrup of ipecac, making them gag, or giving them salt water. If you have syrup of ipecac in your home, throw it out (see the Bathroom section for instructions on how to properly get rid of medicine).
What is the treatment if my child has been poisoned?
Swallowed Poison
If you find your child with an open or empty container of a dangerous non-food item, your child may have been poisoned. Stay calm and act quickly.
First, get the item away from your child.
If there is still some in your child’s mouth, make them spit it out or remove it with your fingers.
Keep this material along with anything else that might help determine what your child swallowed.
Do not make your child vomit because it may cause more damage.
If your child is unconscious, not breathing, or having convulsions or seizures, call 911 or your local emergency number right away.
If your child does not have these symptoms, call the Poison Help number, 1-800-222-1222. You may be asked for the following information:
Your name and phone number.
Your child’s name, age, and weight.
Any medical conditions your child has.
Any medicine your child is taking.
The name of the item your child swallowed (Read it off the container and spell it.).
The time your child swallowed the item (or when you found your child) and the amount you think was swallowed.
If the poison is extremely dangerous, or if your child is very young, you may be told to take them to the nearest hospital. If your child is not in danger, the Poison Help staff will tell you what to do to help your child at home.
Poison on the Skin
If your child spills a dangerous chemical on their body, remove their clothes and rinse the skin with room-temperature water for at least 15 minutes, even if your child resists.
Then call the Poison Help number, 1-800-222-1222.
Do not use ointments or grease.
Poison in the Eye
Flush your child’s eye by holding the eyelid open and pouring a steady stream of room-temperature water into the inner corner.
It is easier if another adult holds your child while you rinse the eye.
If another adult is not around, wrap your child tightly in a towel and clamp them under one arm. Then you will have one hand free to hold the eyelid open and the other to pour in the water.
Then call the Poison Help number, 1-800-222-1222.
Do not use an eyecup, eye drops, or ointment unless the Poison Help staff tells you to.
Poisonous Fumes
In the home, poisonous fumes can come from:
A car running in a closed garage.
Leaky gas vents.
Wood, coal, or kerosene stoves that are not working right.
Space heaters, ovens, stoves, or water heaters that use gas.
If your child is exposed to fumes or gases, have them breathe fresh air right away.
If they are breathing, call the Poison Help number, 1-800-222-1222, and ask about what to do next.
If your child is unresponsive and has stopped breathing or is gasping, start CPR (cardiopulmonary resuscitation) and do not stop until your child breathes on their own or someone else can take over.
If you can, have someone call 911 or your local emergency number right away. If you are alone, wait until your child is breathing or, after 2 minutes of CPR, call 911 or your local emergency number.
This publication was adapted from information from American Academy of Pediatrics Patient Education materials.
Reviewed by: MC MD, CPCMG Newborn Committee, TT DO | 05/2024