Poison prevention

By Tina Tran March 11, 2008 - 9:56am

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I was reminded of the importance of these tips last night as one of my nephews picked up a (clean) paint brush. While a lot of it has been repeated throughout the years, they're items that seem worthy of another run. Here are a few tips for preventing poisonings among little ones courtesy of the CDC:

1. Keep all household chemicals and medicines locked up, out of sight and out of reach;

2. Use child-resistant packaging properly by closing the container securely after each use. Some products also come in child-resistant blister cards, which avoid the need to re- secure;

3. Call 800-222-1222 immediately in case of poisoning;
4. When products are in use, never let young children out of your sight, even if you must. Take them along when answering the phone or doorbell;

5. Keep items in original containers;

6. Leave the original labels on all products, and read the label before using to understand correct use and dosage;

7. Do not put decorative lamps and candles that contain lamp oil where children can reach them. Lamp oil can be very toxic if ingested by young children;

8. Always turn the light on when giving or taking medicine. Check the dosage every time;

9. Avoid taking medicine in front of children. Refer to medicine as "medicine," not "candy";

10. Clean out the medicine cabinet periodically and safely dispose of unneeded and outdated medicines.

Tell Empowher what you have done to assure safety in your own home! Have you found lesser known safety devices that really work? Do you have a story for us that can warn us or help other parents keep their families safe?

Add a Comment1 Comments

alysiak

Behaviors never allowed by my parents or in my household included baby-talk and calling medicines something other than what they are. I still can't stand hearing someone baby-talk a child (or an animal, for that matter); but, what I can't stand even more is seeing children's medicines in shapes that promote the notion it is candy.

I know it's hard to get a kid to take a pill that tastes "gross" or is difficult to swallow. But, I think some manufacturers have gone overboard in their attempts to appeal to children, while marketing to parents. We always managed to get the nasty tasting stuff down, somehow, screwed up faces and all. Melodrama helps, too, if it's funny.

March 12, 2008 - 4:39pm