Poisoning
More than 90% of child poisonings happen in the the home, and 80% of all poisonings are in children between the ages of 1 and 4. That's right, you can't convince your toddler to eat broccoli because it's far too yukky, but try to pry literal poison out of their hands and they'll scream absolute blue murder. What can I say, kids live to make your life more difficult.
Poisoning can look like a lot of things, but some signs to look out for are cramps, nausea, and vomiting, if your child is having a hard time speaking or breathing, if they're dizzy or in and out of consciousness, or if they're foaming at the mouth. Honestly, I don't know many people who see a child foaming at the mouth and thinks 'that seems fine', so I don't know if this is new information to anyone out there.
If you're ever in the unfortunate situation to have to call a doctor because you think your child (or any old child who happens to be near you) has poisoned themself, you should try to have this information ready: the age and weight of the child, the product they have poisoned themselves with (if you have the box or label, even better) and how much you think they have come into contact with, any symptoms the child is displaying, and any medical history that might be useful.
If you don't have this information, don't panic, the best thing that you can do is to call for help and follow the instructions that you're given.
If you're reading this now because you think your child has been poisoned, stop reading and go and call for help. Go. Go and do that now please.
Ingested Poisons
Swallowing poison is the quickest and easiest way for your child to make themselves very sick. Here are some of the things you're going to want your child to avoid.
Drugs and Medicines
The difference between medicine and poison is dosage. Even things like vitamins can become poisonous if taken in high enough quantities. It's important that you keep all medicines out of reach of children. They like to copy mum and dad, and if they see you taking your pills every morning, they might try and copy you. Even something as simple as paracetamol or ibuprofen can be deadly if enough is taken, and for a tiny human, too much isn't as much as you'd think. There's a reason there's specific medicine you can give to children, and it's not just because somebody decided that adults don't deserve strawberry flavoured painkillers.
If you're giving your child over the counter medication, make sure you read the instructions before you give it to them, and if you can, check with pharmacist or doctor to make sure you're giving them the right thing.
I'm going to need you to read very carefully here: do not give your kids recreational drugs. Whether or not you take 'grown up drugs' is none of my business, but if you do, please be EXTRA careful to keep them away from your children. You don't need me to tell you the risks that come from taking street or party drugs, but your kids might not realise how serious the outcomes can be, and we don't want them learning the hard way.
Alcohol
It's common for kids to start drinking in their early teens. It is what it is, and I can only ask that you keep an eye out and make sure they stay safe.
SHOULD your teenage children be drinking? No, it can stunt their brain development, damage their health, and impair their judgement.
Are they going to find a way to do it anyway? Probably, teenagers are like that. We can't blame them though, we were teenagers once upon a time too.
Does that mean you should allow them to drink in the house because it's possibly less dangerous? I don't know. It's not my place to say, they're your kids, it's your decision.
What you can do is explain to them the risks of too much alcohol, teach them the signs they should look out for, and make sure they know what to do if they or their friends overdo it.
At young ages, alcohol can cause low blood glucose levels, which can cause seizures and comas, which is why it's illegal for a child under five to drink or be given alcohol at all. Keep in mind that alcohol doesn't only come from alcoholic drinks, mind you, hand sanitizers, perfumes, some cold medicines, and some mouthwash can also contain alcohol, and they can be dangerous in their own way, so it's not just your glass of wine you need to keep an eye on if you've got a little one going through a 'drink everything' phase.
Liquid Nicotine
Liquid nicotine used in E-cigarettes and vapes is extremely concentrated, and if swallowed can lead to severe poisoning, especially in young children. Any products that have nicotine in them - patches, gum, lozenges, or sprays - should all be kept away from children, as nicotine poisoning can be fatal.
Household Chemicals
Nobody sniffs a bottle of toilet cleaner and thinks 'yummy'. But a child doesn't have to ingest a lot for it to do a lot of damage, so even just a small sip can be enough to cause a lot of problems, especially if they're a very small child. There are too many cleaning products to go through in this one section, but the chemicals in household products can cause vomiting, pulmonary oedema (fluid in the lungs), and/or breathing problems. It's very serious, and should be treated as such.
As a rule, keep all household chemicals away from your children. Even the ones that are meant to be non-toxic and good for the environment. Just keep them out of reach.
If your child is old enough to figure out the safety catch on your kitchen cabinets, hopefully they'll be old enough to hear you when you tell them not to touch it. It's not even being naughty that might get them into trouble, if you've got a darling child who wants to help out and clean the bathroom for mother's day, they might end up with chemicals on their hands, which end up in their mouths, their eyes, up their noses, and anywhere else young children stick their hands...
Food
I'm not saying that you shouldn't give your child food, but just think back to the last time you had food poisoning. You don't want to put your child through that (and you certainly don't want to be on the hook for cleaning up the bathroom after you accidentally poison the whole family).
Food poisoning can make for a funny stag do story, but it can be really dangerous for young children (and elderly people too), and people can die from food poisoning, so it should be taken seriously.
Make sure you cook and store food properly to avoid food poisoning and if you find yourself sniffing raw meat or fish, questioning if it's still good, maybe err on the side of caution and pull out the emergency freezer meal. Just to be on the safe side.
Don't forget that some plants and mushrooms can have poisonous berries (remember the Hunger Games?) so if you're not with someone who really knows their stuff when it comes to pant identification and edible foraging, maybe it's best to generally avoid putting any unknown plant matter in your child's mouth.
Contact Poisons
Contact poisons are things that irritate the skin when you touch them. Generally you're not likely to die from touching poison (unless it leads to an allergic reaction), but they can be problematic if the irritation occurs around the airways or eyes. And let's not forget that just because something probably wont kill you, it doesn't mean it won't make you absolutely miserable anyway.
Plants
Some plants have it in the name. Poison Ivy, Poison Oak, Poison Sumac. Other plants are harder to spot. For example, rosehips aren't poisonous (they're actually edible!) but they'll act like itching powder if you get any down your pants.
I'm not going to give you a list of plants to avoid, because let's face it, I wouldn't know what they look like anyway. I'm a city girl, remember?
What I will say is that if you're heading into the wilderness with your child, brushing up on the local flora and fauna is probably a good idea. Nowadays there are loads of apps you can download that help you identify the plants you're looking at. If you're old school, you could even carry around one of those illustrated guide, just like my parents keep telling me they used to do.
If you do need to venture into the bushes to retrieve a runaway ball, for instance, it's a good idea to cover wear long sleeves and trousers, not just for protection against poisonous plants, but for sharp pointy plants too, and the creepy crawlies that live on them too!
Cosmetics
Make-up, perfumes, lotions, potions, and anything else you put on your body can cause irritation. Especially to the young, delicate skin on children. If you're letting your child play with your make up bag, you should do a patch test of all the products on their arms before you put anything on their face. Actually, that's recommended for adults too, but I've never met anyone who does it.
Products like hair bleaches and dyes should ALWAYS be tested before use, because having a chemical reaction over your whole head is very unpleasant, and it can cause serious breathing and swallowing problems.
Medicated creams (you know the ones with 'oids' and acids that cost an arm and a leg and make you feel like a fancy lady) shouldn't be applied to children at all unless advised by a doctor or pharmacist. Doubly so for prescription creams - they should only be used by the person to whom they are prescribed.
Hair removal products can lead to chemical burns, and skin whitening creams can be devastating if not used correctly.
Household Chemicals
I already talked about household chemicals earlier, so here's a very quick recap:
Chemicals can case burning, blistering, rashes, and dry cracked skin that can bleed. Ingested they can cause vomiting, fluid in the lungs, and breathing difficulties.
Keep household chemicals out of reach of your children until they're old enough to understand the dangers of using them and how to use them safely.
That's your lot, scroll up to 'Ingested Poisons' to read more. Or don't, I'm not your boss.
Nicotine
Again, I talked about nicotine poisoning in 'Ingested Poisons', but since nicotine is readily absorbed by the skin, I'm mentioning it again here.
Nicotine patches should not be given to children, and liquid nicotine should be kept safely out of reach. Even a relatively small amount of liquid nicotine on the skin can lead to poisoning, because the concentration is so high that it just floods into the system. In small children this can be fatal.
Inhaled Poisons
Inhaled poisons normally work by affecting oxygen to the brain, either chemically or by affecting the airways so it is harder to breathe. They can be very fast, and even if death does not occur, it can lead to long term problems.
The good news is that unless your child is a spy, they're probably not going to have anyone actively trying to get them to breathe poison, so the risks are a bit lower thanks to that.
Hydrocarbons
We all know the smell of the petrol station. Some people love it, some people hate it. But everyone knows that what you're smelling is petrol fumes.
That smell is from the hydrocarbons in petrol, and you'll find similar compounds in things like solvents, glues, some cleaning products, mineral spirits or paint thinners, and even in some paints and art markers.
Long term exposure to these chemicals can cause chronic health problems in the central nervous system, the liver, kidneys, and other organs.
Intense exposure (like from sniffing or huffing fumes for recreational high) can cause spontaneous cardiac arrest or brain damage due to the lack of oxygen in the body.
Be aware of how you store these chemicals in your home. Keep them out of reach of children at all times, and keep them in the original containers so it is clear what they are. Make sure that the packaging is sound - any splits in bottles or cracks in cans should be discarded safely and immediately.
Make sure safety labels are readable, and make sure that you've read the safety information before you bring these chemicals around children. Read directions for use carefully, and do not leave the items open and unattended.
Cleaning Products
We know that cleaning products can be ingested AND that they can cause problems on the skin, so let's go for the hattrick and talk about how they can be inhaled.
Hands up who liked making potions as a kid? Hands up who's potions consisted of whatever fluids they found under the sink? Hands up who mixed bleach and ammonia and accidentally discovered home-made tear gas?
You can't see but I've got my hand up right now. Do you want to know the worst part of that story? I was well into my twenties when it happened. I was just trying to clean the toilet, and I guess I forgot that chemistry is a thing.
If you've ever cleaned a shower cubicle with an anti-limescale product you'll know how quickly it can start to burn your lungs, and that's even before you start mixing chemicals at random.
Don't let your kids play with cleaning products. We've been through this twice already. Keep the chemicals out of reach of your kids. Trust me, my mum thought I was advanced for my age too.
Carbon Monoxide
It's often called the silent killer, because it's odourless, colourless, and it can build up in you house for months, slowly driving you crazy before it kills you.
Symptoms of carbon monoxide poisoning include headache, dizziness, feeling or being sick, feeling weak, feeling confused, chest and muscle pain, and shortness of breath. These symptoms might come and go, and get better when you leave the affected area, or go outside and get fresh air, which makes it even harder to tell when you're suffering from carbon monoxide poisoning.
Get a carbon-monoxide alarm. If you have one, go and check the batteries. Go on, I'll wait.
Other things you can do to prevent carbon monoxide poisoning are making sure your boiler is serviced regularly by a qualified engineer, keeping chimneys and flues clean and well maintained, and making sure heating and cooking appliances are properly installed by professionals. You should never use a barbeque or a camping stove indoors or inside a tent, and never leave vehicles or engines on inside the garage.
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