Accidental Poisoning: Are your Kids safe?
As the COVID-19 pandemic grinds on and stress on families mounts, more kids are falling victim to accidental poisoning.
Experts attribute the surge to disrupted sleep patterns, work schedules and parenting routines.
“I think what’s happening is, parents are challenged with a couple of things,” an expert said
To keep kids safe, Experts suggest parents and caregivers start by making sure medications are locked up and out of reach. Keep them in the childproof container supplied by the pharmacy, she urged, and not in a Sunday-through-Saturday pill box, which can be easy for a child to open.
If pills have expired, dispose of them responsibly.
The best way with most is to take them to the pharmacy or designated take-back site. Some meds can be placed in household trash and a few can be flushed down the toilet, Experts suggest. They said the whole family need to be educated and on top of safety. While grandparents may be caring for young grandchildren, their home may not be childproofed.
Make sure everyone who cares for your child is aware of the potential for poison ingestion. Remind them to put all medications or cannabis away.
Keep (emergency number) handy. Call it immediately if you suspect your child has swallowed something poisonous. Don’t wait for an adverse reaction to confirm it, because reactions vary by the toxin consumed.
“Some may cause vomiting; some may cause lethargy where the kid is kind of non-responsive; some might cause a stomach illness,” An expert said. “If you think they ingested edibles, that’s not going to have the same kind of reaction as prescription medication. We can’t say, ‘If they look like this, do this.'”
Poison Control can help you determine next steps.
“This pandemic is not behind us yet, and families are still trying to figure out what normal is,” An expert said. “So, it’s time for us to think about having our children in new environments. We just want them to be thinking about their child’s safety at every destination
Source: Children’s Hospital of Los Angeles, news release, Aug. 27, 2021
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