Practice Poison Control: Prevention Tips All Parents Should Know

No matter how “child-proof” you think your home may be, more than one million children under six years old are exposed to poison each year – often by way of common household products. But there are some simple steps parents can take to ensure their children don’t have easy access to potentially harmful items in the home. We’ve outlined some must-know poison control tips for three common types of products below:

Medication Safety:

• Keep all medicines in a locked cabinet – even ones that don’t require a prescription.
• Don’t transfer medicines to different bottles.
• Count the number of pills in a bottle to ensure you always know how many should be there.
• Avoid telling children that medicine is like candy – even if you’re trying to get them to take it.
• Supervise all medications your child takes.

Hygiene Products and Makeup Safety:

• Keep shampoos, soaps, deodorant, makeup, toothpaste, and any other hygiene products out of your child’s reach – don’t leave them on the sink counter or bathtub shelf.
• Supervise your child anytime he brushes his teeth or takes a bath to ensure the products he’s using don’t get ingested.

Cleaning Product Safety:

• Keep cleaning products in the containers they came in, clearly labeled.
• Store laundry detergent, detergent pods, dishwashing detergent, household cleaning products, and aerosol sprays in locked cabinets out of reach.
• Don’t use bug or rodent poison, power, or sprays on floors, furniture, or mattresses.
• Don’t leave cleaning products unattended while in use.

If you think your child has been poisoned, don’t hesitate to act – call the Poison Control Hotline at 1-800-222-1222 immediately.