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Know about poisoning in children, preventing poisoning in a child and accidental ingestion of poison by kids.

Poisoning in Children

Toddlers are quite active, curious and fearless explorers in their own right. At their tender age, they learn to use chairs and climb up to reach things that are kept supposedly out of their reach. The highly active toddlers would strive to open the bolted doors, drawers and closets. In the process, they might come across things that seem to attract them, but are hazardous for their health. The little ones are not aware of the health hazards of the harsh chemicals, medicines and paints that they come across.

In a way to 'taste' the new things, such as paints, medicines, they tend to swallow the chemicals. Eventually, they end up in being poisoned due to eating and drinking toxic things that cannot be ingested. This is the case with most of the toddlers, because at their tender age, they cannot understand what is edible and what is not. Therefore, it is the duty of the parents or the caretakers to store 'potential poisons' in such a way that the toddlers never reach them. Learn how to decrease the risk of poisoning in children, by following the tips given below.

Prevent Poisoning In Child
  • All the potential poisons like medicines, detergents, paints should be kept out of the reach and sight of your children.
  • Make sure that all the medications - syrups, ointments and capsules - are stored in a medicine box. The syrups and ointments should have child-safety caps on, so that your baby does not pry them open and drink them. Store them in a locked cabinet.
  • Clear all the expired medications from your medicine box. This is because outdated medicines are even more hazardous, when consumed.
  • Always keep your dustbin covered with a lid, so that your kids cannot dig into the toxic things that you have thrown away.
  • Never transfer potential poisons like naphthalene balls, phenyl, paints and cleaning products into coffee cans, milk containers, soda bottles etc. This may lead your child to drink or eat it, accidentally, mistaking them for edibles.
  • Install childproof locks in your cabinets and drawers, before your kids learn to crawl and stand up straight.
  • Keep some common poison treatments at home within your reach, so that you can treat the kid during emergencies, in the absence of a doctor. However, it is always suggested to call upon a doctor in case of poisoning.
  • Be precautious while using household products, when your children are around. You can easily get distracted with other things, which may allow enough time for the children to get curious and creep in. Store the products in locked cabinets immediately after using them.
  • Do not take medications in front of your children. Never refer these medicines as candy, because the children might swallow the 'candy' in your absence, when they get an opportunity to get a hold of the medicine bottles.