If you are expecting a new baby or have young children in your home, taking steps to prevent accidental poisonings is a crucial part of home safety. Many common items in and around your home may be poisonous, presenting risks for newly crawling or walking babies, who explore the world by touching things and putting them in their mouth.
The most common things babies get into while exploring like this are medications, vitamins and supplements, cleaning products, personal care products such as hand sanitizer and deodorant, toys and foreign objects, plants and mushrooms, and pesticides like ant traps and bug spray.
Some of the most serious poisonings involve prescription pain medications, marijuana, ADHD medications, cough and cold medications, and certain foreign objects like batteries, magnets and ammunition.
Following the safety tips below can help prevent many poisonings. Kids act fast, though, and sometimes despite our best efforts they will get into something, or we’ll make a mistake when giving them medication. That’s why it’s important to have the poison center number saved in your phone: 1-800-222-1222. The poison center is staffed by specially trained nurses and pharmacists who provide fast, expert help at no cost to you. With help from the poison center, 95% of poisonings involving young children can be treated at home. You can also reach us by text message by sending the word POISON to 85511 or by chatting live with our poison experts here on our website.
Making your home safer
Tips for home safety and medication safety:
- Store all potential poisons up high, out of reach of children, in a locked cabinet if possible. Keep purses, luggage and diaper bags out of reach of children as well.
- Store products in their original containers, and keep all nonfood items separate from food and drink.
- Put the cap back on immediately and put products away as soon as you are finished using them.
Image from the Up and Away campaign. Visit their site for more resources related to safe storage.
- Read the label on medications, cleaners and other products, and carefully follow the instructions each time you use them.
- When giving medication to a child, use the measuring tool provided with the medication or another marked measuring tool like a teaspoon or tablespoon. Do not use silverware or serving spoons.
- Do not call medication “candy.”
- Get rid of products you no longer need, such as expired medications or old pesticides, safely and promptly. Call your town office for guidance on disposal.
- Be prepared for poison emergencies: store the poison center’s number, 1-800-222-1222, in your phone contacts and put a magnet on your refrigerator. Request a magnet online or by calling the hotline.
The NNEPC was pleased to assist Safe Kids VT with its Preparing for Baby booklet, which featured a modified version of this post. Download the booklet from the UVM Medical Center Safe Kids page.
