Household products that could be dangerous to your child’s health

If you look around you, there are many things around the house that might be dangerous to your children’s health, especially curious toddlers. It is important to be aware of what these potentially dangerous items are to help keep your kids safe.

Medicine

Thousands of young children end up in emergency rooms each year because of accidentally ingesting medicines while adults weren’t looking. As you know, kids are naturally curious and young ones have a habit of putting things in their mouths.

If you have children at home, you can prevent this kind of emergency visit by keeping medicines out of children’s sight and reach. For safety reasons, you should choose a medicine cabinet or storage that kids cannot reach and see inside. In addition, always relock the cap if your medicines come in a bottle, and never leave medicine out on the table or bedside. Another word of caution is never to encourage children to take medicine by pretending that medicines are candy. Instead, teach kids what medicines are for and why only trusted adults must give medicines to them.

Button Batteries

Button batteries, also called coin batteries, are often used for watches, toys, flameless candles, key fobs, and various decorations. These small, round, and shiny batteries can cause serious harm and even death if ingested. A child may also shove the battery inside his/her nose. When the foreign object is not removed from the child’s nose, it may cause internal burns and other serious complications. Keep your kids safe by storing spare batteries out of children’s reach. Make sure that items, especially toys, have battery chambers secured by screws that kids cannot pry open. These precautions also apply to other forms of batteries.

Household Cleaning Products

There are a lot of cleaning and laundry products that are poisonous when ingested. Several examples of these toxic products are corrosive drain cleaners, toilet bowl cleaners, oven cleaners, laundry detergents, fabric softeners, bleach, ammonia, insecticides, and more. Ingestion can cause stomach irritation, nausea, vomiting, esophageal injury, breathing problems, and even death. Make sure that you store these products out of children’s reach including pets. It is also recommended to read the labels to check for instructions in case of ingestion or exposure to skin.

Garden Products

If you enjoy gardening then you probably have fertilizers, herbicides, and pest control spray in your house. Like the other household items mentioned earlier, you should store garden products where children cannot see or reach them.

Liquid Nicotine

If someone in your house vapes, please be aware that liquid nicotine used to refill e-cigarettes is poisonous. A very small amount of liquid nicotine is capable of killing a child. If the liquid nicotine touches a child’s mouth even without swallowing, it can be toxic. It can also cause poisoning when the liquid is spilled and absorbed by the skin.

Other Products

Rubbing alcohol, hand sanitizers, mouthwash, hair dye, nail polish, shoe polish, cologne, perfume, shampoo, and other toiletries should also be kept away from young children.

Poison Prevention

Medicare Plus advises every family to be aware of the potential dangers in their household. Remember to keep household chemicals and other potentially dangerous items out of reach of young children. It is highly recommended that you use safety locks on storage cabinets where medicines, cleaning agents, and chemicals are stored.

By knowing the potentially hazardous products in your surroundings that can affect your health, you can take preventive measures to protect your children, especially young ones, from accidentally ingesting or inhaling poisonous agents. Awareness also enables you to protect your kids from getting splashed in the eye and from skin contact with toxic chemicals. For emergencies, you can contact the National Poison Management and Control Center.