Have you ever had a child drink your nail polish? Or maybe suck on a permanent marker?

We get calls like these a lot at the poison center. We had more than 130 calls about nail polish and nearly 180 about pens and markers in 2012.

Most of the time, your child will be fine if they do this. Nail polish does have some scary-sounding chemicals in it, but it comes in small bottles that don’t pour very quickly, so it’s hard for a child to drink enough to be harmful.

Markers are billed as “permanent” but they will come off eventually and the chemicals in them are not harmful in such a small amount.

In fact, with these two items and plenty of others, we’re more likely to see problems for the child when parents or caregivers try to clean up these mishaps in the wrong way.

Sometimes they will try to use nail polish remover to clean up a kid’s face. This will actually be more unpleasant for the child than the nail polish itself. Nail polish remover contains harsh chemicals—it won’t cause any lasting problems, but it can make the child’s skin red and sore.

With markers, people will sometimes try to use a marker eraser solution to try to clean the child’s face. These products also contain skin irritants that can leave the child with redness and soreness.

In both cases, your best bet for cleanup is good old soap and water. And if you did use nail polish remover or marker eraser solution first, some mild soap, a thorough rinse and maybe some moisturizer can help.

The most important thing to remember is any time you have a question about a child getting into something, call the poison center at 1-800-222-1222 or chat with us online. Our poison specialists are here 24/7 and will help you treat your child the right way. And sometimes you’ll find out things aren’t as bad as you thought!

Have you ever been somewhere with a fussy baby you needed to distract and reached in your handbag to find something for them to play with?

Your purse may be more dangerous than you realize.

Many of us have handbags very similar to the one below. They are filled with many useful everyday products that can be harmful if a child or pet gets into them. To help prevent purse poisonings:

• Keep your purse where pets and kids can’t reach it.
• Avoid giving children household products to play with.

Call the poison center at 1-800-222-1222 or chat online if your child or pet gets into any of these products.

Image copyright 2007 University of Wisconsin Hospital and Clinic Authority Board

Visit our shop to download the above Poison Purse poster.

Ever wonder if your Christmas tree decorations are poisonous to your pets or kids? Most likely, your ornaments are nontoxic, but if you have young children or dogs or cats, there are some steps you can follow to keep them safe.

At our house, you can tell how fragile, expensive or potentially harmful an ornament is by where it was hung on our tree. The very top has the glass, antique and sentimental ones. The bottom branches, where our kids can reach, have very few ornaments.

Bubble light by Di Bédard

In particular, we avoid hanging the following types of ornaments on the bottom branches:

• Older ornaments. These may contain lead paint, which can be harmful if a young child or pet puts the ornament in their mouth.
• Angel hair. This is made from spun glass, which can irritate a child’s mouth or eyes.
• Bubble lights. Some of these contain methylene chloride, which can irritate or burn a child’s mouth or skin if they bite into a light. They may also get a headache, feel sick to their stomach, or feel drowsy.

Just a few things to keep in mind when decorating your tree. Most of your decorations will be fine, but if you have any concerns, just give us a call (1-800-222-1222) or chat now.

Reaching into the poison center archives, we bring you “‘Tis the Season to Be Poisoned,” a holiday safety poem by John H. Trestrail III, R.Ph, ABAT, the former managing director of the Helen DeVos Children’s Hospital Regional Poison Center in Michigan. Enjoy!

‘Twas the morning post-party, when all through the house,
No adult was stirring, not even your spouse.
The children, you thought, were asleep in their beds.
But, what you didn’t know, they had other ideas in their heads.

Your house was awash in post-party trash,
And the kids thought this was a gold mine—better than cash.
There were ashtrays with butts and glasses with drink,
And a visitor’s purse lay there by the sink.

The kids were delighted and felt ever so free,
And then their bright eyes—locked onto the tree!
There was tinsel, and lights that bubbled so merry,
And a strange plant with fruits, called “Jerusalem Cherry”.
Food was left out on the table all night,

And if they could have seen the bacteria—what a horrible sight!
And there by the fireplace was a box shaped just right,
That contained some powder to make fire colors bright.
A small toy broke open, and there at their feet,
Was a round tiny battery that looked good to eat.

As you see your home, where you thought poisons naught,
On this holiday season, was NOT as safe as you thought!
As you rose from your sleep and rubbed your eyes free,
You looked for the kids, and a disaster you see!

You sprang to the phone, not a moment to spare,
And talked to the folks you knew would be there.
Your poison center sure helped you get through the mix,
And you thought—“How’d we ever get into this fix?”
For you see holidays can present problems so rare,
That before they can happen, be sure to prepare.

It takes just a moment to think what might be,
And clean up your trash, so your home’s poison free.
And so, my dear friends, keep the holidays bright,
Put all away, and sleep peaceful tonight.
Have a holiday bright, that is full of good cheer,
And from the staff of the poison center—“Have a Safe Year!”

Earlier this week, we talked about which holiday plants are poisonous to people, but keep in mind that some things that won’t harm a person can be poisonous to your cat or dog.

Amaryllis is one holiday plant that is harmful to pets—especially the bulb. If a dog or cat eats the bulb they will throw up, not feel like eating, have stomach pains, get diarrhea and possibly have tremors.

Holly, Jerusalem cherry and mistletoe are all harmful for cats, dogs and horses. If your pet eats a little bit of one of these plants they may throw up and have diarrhea. If they eat a larger amount they could have worse symptoms. Jerusalem cherry can give them seizures and mistletoe can slow down their heart.

To keep your pets safe this holiday season, keep plants and other harmful items up and out of the reach. Call the poison center at 1-800-222-1222 or chat to learn more about what plants and substances may be poisonous to your pet.

Remember that pets are different from people. For difficult poisonings, the NNEPC may recommend you call the ASPCA Animal Poison Control Center.

It can be very stressful cooking for a large group. What if there is not enough oven space? Or what if something is undercooked and people get sick?

If you are hosting Thanksgiving this year, these tips can help make sure your meal doesn’t leave your guests with food poisoning:

• Wash your hands before and after touching food.
• Wash dishes, knives, cutting boards and other kitchen items before and after handling raw food.
• Wash fruits and vegetables thoroughly.
• Keep raw meat separate from other food.
• Cook your food thoroughly. You can’t tell if a turkey is done by just looking at it. Use a food thermometer.  You should cook your turkey, stuffing (cooked alone or in the bird) and casseroles to at least 165 degrees. Need to know what temperature other dishes should be cooked to? See our Safe Cooking Temperature Table (PDF).
• Put your leftovers in the refrigerator within two hours. Remove all the stuffing from the turkey before you refrigerate the leftover meat. Keep stuffing, gravy or broth in separate containers.

Food poisoning can take anywhere from two hours to several days to make you sick. It can last up to 10 days. You may:

• Feel sick to your stomach
• Have stomach cramps
• Throw up
• Have diarrhea
• Have a fever

For questions about food poisoning, call us at 1-800-222-1222 or chat now. We are open on Thanksgiving and every other day of the year, 24 hours a day.