Is Your Child Safe in Your Own Home?
>> Apr 20, 2013
A young boy has died after
eating an omelette accidentally contaminated with rat poison in India. The 13-year-old boy was home alone and
mistakenly added unlabelled rat poison to his food, instead of pepper. The boy
was admitted to the hospital on February 21 and later passed away.
The incident has revived
calls for parents to be aware of the risks of accidental child poisoning in the
home. According to the NSW Poisons Information Centre (http://www.chw.edu.au/poisons/poisoning_prevention.htm)
every year thousands of children require medical care for poisoning from
chemicals found in the home.
While children under five
are most at risk, poisoning can occur at any age without the proper prevention
in the home. There are many simple steps parents can take to help avoid poisonings.
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Child Proof Your Home
Child proofing your home
may seem like an obvious tip but the truth is, young children will explore and
often put anything they find in their mouths. Any poison should be stored in a
high, lockable cupboard. Childproof handles should be secured to cupboards containing
cleaning products, chemicals or any other toxic substances. Always make sure
that poison is placed well out of reach of children.
Make Sure Toxic Products Have
Labels
All poison should be
labelled correctly and stored in their original packaging. This helps to ensure
if poisoning does occur medical professionals have the full and correct
information on what has been ingested.
Use Eco-Friendly Alternatives
Go non-toxic; there are
thousands of eco-friendly, natural and non-toxic products for cleaning and pest
control on the market these days. Baking soda, lemon and vinegar can all be
used in place of most household cleaners. They are cheaper, greener and safer
for your children. For tips on non-toxic alternatives see the Healthy Child Healthy World website
(http://healthychild.org/) or the Earth Easy Website
(http://eartheasy.com/live_nontoxic_solutions.htm).
Lock Toxic Materials Away
Chemicals are not the only
items which need to be locked away. 70% of accidental child poisonings are the
result of children swallowing medication. (RaisingChildren Network 2012) http://raisingchildren.net.au/articles/preventing_poisoning.html/context/378.
Be sure to store medicines in a locked box or medicine cabinet out of
children’s reach. Children also like to imitate their parents. Avoid taking
medicine in front of your children, or if age appropriate, explain what
medicines are and that they can be harmful if not taken correctly.
Educate the Bigger Kids about
Poison
As children grow up
parents need to educate them about the dangers of poison. Teach older children
how to read the warning labels, the appropriate emergency numbers and their
address so they are prepared to act in an emergency. List emergency numbers
such as ambulance, hospital, poisons information centre and contact people,
close to the phone within easy access. In the event of a poisoning, acting
quickly is critical. Giving children the information and skills to call in an
emergency can save valuable time.
Learn First Aid
Learn first aid. Many
people think the appropriate response to a child poisoning is to induce
vomiting. According to the Better Health Channel (http://www.betterhealth.vic.gov.au/bhcv2/bhcarticles.nsf/pages/Child_poisoning_in_the_home_symptoms_and_treatment)
you should not try to cause vomiting as it can actually cause more harm to the
child. If you suspect a poisoning but the child is not showing symptoms call
the poison information line. Symptoms of poisoning can vary depending on the
amount of the substance swallowed. Some symptoms may include: burns and redness
to the mouth, vomiting, fainting, drowsiness, nausea, seizures or stomach pain.
If the child is showing poisoning symptoms call an ambulance immediately.
Author Bio:
Jessica Josh is an Australian freelance
writer and blogger. Since 2007 she has been writing about rodents, cockroaches, household pests and
articles for http://www.advancedpestmanagement.com.au/
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