Children are most at-risk for accidental poisonings in our very homes and backyards. Medicines, household cleaners, garden chemicals, personal care products, plants and art supplies all can cause poisoning. We have to use a common sense approach to most things around the house. Here is mine..
Keep all medications and chemicals out of reach. Sincerely where do you keep yours? In the bathroom bottom cabinet at the back in the far corner, hoping no one will notice? This is a BIG NO. Keep these in their “original” containers, on the top most shelf and locked in a cabinet.
Keep the Emergency help line phone numbers handy. Stick the local poison control number, doctor, emergency department and such near the home phone and enter it into your cell phone and home phone contact lists. You will not have to encounter any short term memory loss problems that occur when faced with extreme/dire situations. Call your nearest poison control centre or 911 if you think your child has been poisoned.
Follow directions on product labels. Its important to keep these products in their original packaged containers. They are legally required to provide information labels on first aid and other pertinent information in case of accidental swallowing or exposure to skin or eye contact. Many poisonings can be prevented simply by paying attention to advice on the packaging.
Avoid keeping night pills on the bedside table. This may be a convenience for you but not at your child’s peril. Take the trouble to walk down to the washroom locked cabinet or wherever its stored safely.
Educate children how to dial 911 (or whatever emergency phone number is applicable for your local area). You will be surprised little children do remember phone numbers and there are reported cases of how little kids have in fact called for help in emergencies.
No comments:
Post a Comment