Poison Prevention Week: Keep an eye on these 5 danger zones

If you have a toddler or preschooler, then you know they are a fast and curious bunch. They love exploring, and at this age they inspect with their mouths first and ask questions later.

While a little dirt or sand never really hurt a toddler; unintentional ingestion of medications or chemicals can suddenly put you and your child in an emergency situation.

It’s Poison Prevention Week, so take a moment to reassess the safety of your home when it comes to medications and chemicals. Taking these simple, proactive steps now may just save your child from being one of the 67,000 children rushed to the hospital annually for accidental medication exposure.

Top 5 Danger Zones:

Floors

A wayward pill or vitamin left on the floor will no doubt be found by a curious toddler. This actually happened to me a couple of years ago when my daughter was 3. I was fighting the flu, glued to the couch, and had taken some Advil. In my flu haze, I do remember dropping a pill in the kitchen but couldn’t find where it had landed. I remember looking for it for quite some time.

Well wouldn’t you know? A few hours later, I found my daughter crouched in the corner with a disgusted look on her face and spitting something out. It was the small orange/brown tablet that I had lost earlier. To her, I’m sure it looked like an M&M.

Check your floors daily for wayward vitamins or pills. Because believe me, if it’s there, your child will find it and will “taste” it before showing it to you.

Countertops

Kitchen counters, bathroom counters, and nightstands are all likely places where adults might leave pillboxes or cold medications that they’re taking. The problem is, your curious tot will find a way to reach that counter if he really wants to. And don’t be lulled into a false sense of security because it has a child safety cap on. Just like your kid can navigate that iPhone way faster than you can…she can undo that lid just as fast.

Grandma’s purse

Okay, it’s not just Grandma’s purse, it’s your purse too. We all know kids love rummaging through our purses. It’s like Christmas Day for them. So either keep your purse high and out of reach or do not keep vitamins or pills in there. This report from Safe Kids USA reveals that children less than 6 end up getting their hands on adult medications the most. And those medications typically belong to either Mom or their Grandparents.

And while we’re talking about Grandparents, make sure when your kids are visiting there that all medications are kept high and out of reach. Don’t be shy about asking them to do this. No doubt they want to keep their grandchildren just as safe as you do and it may not have been something they previously considered.

Vacation suitcase

Going on vacation with toddler in tow? While that alone is a medal worthy endeavor, don’t forget to pack the same safety precautions you use at home. Suitcases, like purses, are a playground of discovery for your little one. Keep those medications/cosmetics/personal hygiene products out of your child’s reach.

We tend to let our guards down on vacation when we actually should be more vigilant. New environments and change of routines are common places for unintentional injuries/accidents. Here’s another confession of mine: I actually called Poison Control while on vacation with our then toddler son. We were unpacking and getting ready for dinner. Meanwhile he was doing what toddlers do best: exploring. A few moments later, I turn around to find him with an opened stick of deodorant in his mouth.

Luckily, the professionals at Poison Control are calm and know exactly what they’re talking about. Not to worry (um, Doctor), your son will be fine.

Laundry Room

Last, but certainly not least, remember to keep the laundry room free of hazards. With the recent advent of those handy single use laundry detergent pods, Poison Control has seen a spike in calls related to accidental ingestion. They’re colorful and attractive to the curious toddler…and guess what? They do look like some cool candy. So, if you do use these…please keep them high and out of sight.

Sometimes, regardless of our safety efforts, kids get into things. Accidents happen. So take a moment now to program this number for Poison Control on your smart phone and keep it visibly posted for babysitters and Grandparents. They’ll be able to tell you in seconds what you should do in case of an accidental ingestion…