HOME SAFETY

Poison Prevention

There are more than 47,000 children under age 6 seen in emergency rooms every year for medicine poisoning – that’s 5 children every hour. Most accidental poisonings happen for two reasons: 1.) lack of supervision (even for a minute) and/or 2.) the medication or other substance was within sight or reach (or both) of a child.

When it comes to poison prevention, our biggest piece of advice for everyone is to save the Poison Help number in your phone and post it visibly at home: 1-800-222-1222. The Poison Help line is not just for emergencies. You can call this free, 24-hour, confidential phone line with questions about how to take or give medicine, concerns about plants, chemicals, carbon monoxide, bites, stings and more. You can also use the Poison Help online tool for poisoning information.

Safety Tips

MEDICATION SAFETY

Store all medication out of reach and out of sight from children. If you need help remembering to take your medication, set reminders on your phone instead of leaving them out where kids could get them.
Use a dosing device that comes with the medication, especially when providing medication to children, and double-check the correct dosage is what you’re giving to them (look at both the numbers and the unit of measurement for the dosing device!)
Don’t refer to your child’s medication as “candy” even if it tastes good to them, or you want to encourage them to eat it. Many times, children can get confused between medicine and candy because they can look similar, and this could lead them to take too much medication on accident.
Be aware of any medications or makeup that may be in your handbag. Store handbags out of the reach of young children.
Write clear instructions for others who may need to administer medication to your child.
Save the Poison Help Hotline number in your phone: (800) 222-1222. Specialists at poison control centers provide free, confidential, expert medical advice 24 hours a day. They help with poisoning emergencies and can also answer questions about medicine safety.

OTHER TYPES OF POISONING PREVENTION

Remember products that might be harmful to kids. Check your home for products like cleaning supplies, liquid laundry packets, plants, pesticides, alcohol, medicine. Keep personal care products such as lotion, makeup, cleanser and deodorant where kids can’t get into them.
Keep cleaning products in their original containers, so young children don’t confuse them with candy or some other edible food.
When buying products, look for child-resistant containers for an extra layer of protection.
Purchase opaque containers so children are not attracted to the contents inside.
When you’re at other people’s homes, be on the lookout for unsafe spaces that your child could access -like under the kitchen sink where many people keep cleaning supplies.
Be aware of any medications or makeup that may be in your handbag. Store handbags out of the reach of young children.
Always follow the instructions on the product labels.
If a child gets into laundry pods or other products, call the Poison Control Center Help number immediately, (800) 222-1222. The call is free and confidential; translation is available in 161 languages.