Antifreeze Looks Like Kool-Aid: What To Do If The Unthinkable HappensJul 14 '01 Write an essay on this topic.
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The Bottom Line Do not take poison child proofing lightly folks- keep this information in mind- just in case.
Antifreeze looks like green Kool-aid. The pretty blue liquid that is Windex looks delicious to drink. Lemon Fresh Pine Sol smells like, what else, lemons. Poisons are every where. Those pretty packages that just scream 'Buy me! Buy me!' in the store, may signal to your child 'Drink me! I look just like the juice you had with lunch!' to your child. Safety shouldn't just include safety gates, outlet plugs, and helmets and knee pads. Often, parents forget that children do not have the same experiences that they do. They don't know right away that the stove burner is hot, that if you stick a wet finger in an outlet that it hurts, or that the pretty blue liquid that Mommy uses day in and day out isn't good to drink. We, as parents, have a responsibility to do what we can to keep our children safe. In some instances, this means that we watch our children, that we keep unsafe and potentially dangerous items out of their reach. What Poisons Do You Own? You can't effectively rid your home of poisons- although you can try. Look around your house, and see if you spot any of these potential poisons nearby. []Bleach []Bubble Bath []Batteries []Cologne, perfume []Make up []Iodine []Insulation []Laundry Detergents []Nail Polish/Remover []Automotive Cleaners []Dish Soap []Pet Food []Plant Food []Shampoo []Toilet Bowl Cleaner These are things that many of us use everyday. Other things to worry about are plants. Not everyone has plants, but everyone should know which ones to look out for when it comes to their children. []Desert Rose []Aloe (The cooling sap is toxic) []Baby's Breath []Azalea []Black Eyed Susan []Buckeye (Horse Chestnut- The nut and leaves are toxic) []Daffodil []Calla Lily []Elephants Ear []English Ivy []Iris []Potato (Green Tuber is toxic) These plants should not be kept in the same house as children. If you must keep plants, keep in mind that there are plenty that a not toxic, and are safe to keep. These safe plants include: []African Violets []Boston Fern []Christmas Cactus []Dandelion []Easter Lily []Freesia []Gardenia []Hibiscus []Impatiens []Jade Plant []Orchid And more. To find a list of common household poisons, as well as dangerous plants and those that are safe, please feel free to visit this site. I found the information listed above at this site also. http://www.kidssafe.com/P26.HTM Now That You Know- What To Do About It Child proof, child proof, child proof. Did you know that 'most accidental poisonings occur in children under five?'(source: http://www.poison.org/prevent.htm)Parents need to rearrange their cabinets- including the medicine cabinet. Take all hazardous materials, and move them up high. Keep them in locked cabinets and closets, and do not, under any circumstances, let your child watch you open the locked cabinet or door. Children are intelligent. They only need to see you do something once, and they have it figured out. If you live in a place of limited space (as I do), you may have no choice in where you keep your poisons. You can lock them up, but be prepared to change the locks often. You may have to think of creative places to put the chemicals- for example, ours are located on the top shelf of our linen closet. We had to move ours there, since our fifteen month old son figured out our latest lock system on the cabinet doors. If he starts to show an interest in climbing the shelves of the linen closet (not a safe thing to do anyway), our chemicals will be moved to the storage closet in the hall of our apartment building. You can also gate off rooms that hold these chemicals- such as the garage, a laundry room, or even the kitchen. Medicines should also be considered poisons. Oh, I can see the eyebrows being raised now. But this is true. Overdose is a serious thing. The medicines that you take are designed for adult use, and work well with your body weight and size. A child, who is just a fraction of adult size, can not handle as much of something as an adult. So whatever makes you feel better, is potentially deadly to a child. Never refer to medicine as candy- it isn't. Children like candy, and if they figure out a way to get at the 'candy,' they will eat more. If possible, don't let the child see you take your medicines. Often, child want to imitate their parents. Be careful when taking your child to the homes of people without children. My father takes a blood pressure medicine- he keeps it on his desk. My son is a good climber- he can reach that medicine in the time it takes someone to turn around. When visiting, kindly ask people to move their medicines so that they aren't so easily accessible. Also- watch your child. This is not the responsibility of anyone else but you. If your child leaves the room- follow them. Close doors to keep them secure, don't let them into someone else's bathroom or kitchen without you. It only takes a second for a child to open a door, and find some pretty looking liquids- household cleaners and other such poisons. Always read the labels of your cleaners, your medicines, and anything else that might be poisonous. Make a note of what to do if the item is swallowed. Read these cautions everytime you use the product. When you are finished with something, put it back. It may mean taking a few extra seconds to have to get it again for something that you missed- but those few seconds could also mean life or death for your child if the item was left out. Mark all hazardous materials with black electrical tape- a big black X. Do not cover any warnings, and do not cover the name of the item. This X will help you and others remember that the item in hand is dangerous. Or, you can contact your local poison control center and ask for a package of Mr. Yuk stickers. Mr. Yuk stickers are free, and they are a bright neon green with a nasty face on them. Teach your children what the X or Mr. Yuk stickers mean, so that if they seem them, they know that the product is dangerous. Post the phone number for you local poison control center on the handset of every phone in your home. What To Do In Case Of Poisoning Act fast. Don't delay. First off, if the person is having trouble breathing, seizures, or won't wake up, call 911 IMMEDIATELY. Do not call the poison control center first- just call 911. State your emergency (possible poisoning), and stay calm. Give them your address, and any other information that they ask for. They will want to know what they person has taken, if you know, tell them. Otherwise, follow these instructions below. Common procedures are: []Eyes: Rinse eye for 15 minutes with clear running water. Do not force the eye open. Then call your local poison control center. []Skin: Remove any splashed clothing, rinse area with clear running water for 15 minutes. Then call your local poison control center. []Breathed in: Open all windows, doors, get into some fresh air, then call your local poison control center. []Cleaning Products Swallowed: Give one glass of milk or water to drink (unless the person is unable to swallow) then call the poison control center. []ANYTHING ELSE SWALLOWED: BEFORE YOU DO ANYTHING, CALL YOUR LOCAL POISON CONTROL CENTER. All of the above is taken almost word for word from this site: http://www.poison.org/fstaid.htm. I thought it best, in case I lost anything in the translation. Where's Your Local Center At? For a list of some of the local centers, you can visit this page: http://www.kidssafe.com/P24.HTM#agc. The fastest way to find the one nearest you, is through this link: http://www.poison.org/find_your_local_poison_center.htm. Please, for the safety of your children, child proof your poisons. This review is part of the Epinions Helping Hands Write Off. A group of us have decided to once again write about products and donate all monies from those reviews to charities. If you would like to help out but were not able to contribute a review please read as many of these reviews written by some of the finest people at Epinions, in my opinion anyway. I wrote this review for two reasons. Because I knew that people would see it over and over again, thanks to the Helping Hands 2 write off, and I hope to keep this information fresh in people's minds, and to help with one of my favorite local charities- Operation St. Nick. Operation St. Nick of Grundy County in Illinois not only provides Christmas to children in need, but it also gives these same children the supplies that they need to start school each fall. In a few weeks, these children and their families will be descending on a nearby Wal-mart, picking our pens, and pencils, folders, and gym shoes. A limit of $150, per child, for school supplies and new clothes for school is granted. Only a few families in the area are eligible to participate- but every penny donated is a penny closer to one more child, one more family. It warms my heart to see these same families, only using a portion of the money allotted to them, so that perhaps another family in need will get the things they need. Please be sure to read as many reviews written by the below members as possible. Every time you read a review, you will be helping someone less fortunate then yourself. adjensen, adnetim, Ainsleyjo, Alwaysstubborn, Alwoolcott, amysmum, AshleyA, Bgoodday, bluehawq, bmcnichol, bops_mom, CANS4US, Char.mike, Cartman_2k, cntaur5, dearladyb, dee67, disartain, eplovejoy, fallyn96, Fostrmom2mny, FraggleMom, Frazzledspice, ggrimes1221, jankp, jdhauer, jennica, jo.com, kelly60, kminer, lildev, MariaEkaterina, nwinston, mimi369, mom2girlz, mridula, mrsocko316, PacBayStat, Pambo, quasar, rbradford, rosalyce, rugged14, shanny21, shantel575, Stephen_Murray, Sunkah, Suzer, Viper1963, Vormancian, Wanbli_Gleska, and willeftk.  |
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