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Protect Your Child Against Poisons and Plants


Babies are curious by nature and they try to crawl everywhere. They may climb to get things they want. Protect your child against poisons.

Many home products can be poisonous. Here are a few:

  • kitchen cleaners such as oven cleaner and dishwasher detergent
  • general cleaners such as ammonia, furniture polish and bleach
  • toilet bowl cleaner, drain cleaner and other bathroom products
  • laundry products such as bleach, spot remover and fabric softener
  • turpentine, kerosene, lighter fluid and charcoal lighter
  • paint remover, paint thinner, paint and varnish
  • products such as gasoline and antifreeze
  • bath and beauty products such as makeup, nail polish remover and perfume
  • bug spray, roach trays, rat poison and ant poison
  • prescription and over the counter medicines such as aspirin, sleeping pills, laxatives and cough syrup
  • vitamins, iron pills and other food supplements


    • If your child swallows any home product, get help right away. If your child is not breathing, phone 9-1-1. Otherwise, phone the Poison Control Center. The number is 1-800-222-1222

    SAFETY TIPS:

  • Watch your child at all times. Stay close and keep your child out of danger.
  • Lock poisons in cabinets.
  • Store all home products out of reach.
  • Make sure all medicines have safety caps. These make it harder for children to take them off. But don’t depend on safety caps alone. Given enough time, children can pry them loose.
  • Don’t leave medicine on the kitchen table or the bathroom sink. Keep all medicines out of reach.
  • Put away your purse and those of people who come to visit. Purses often contain medicines and other harmful products.
  • Throw out old medicines. Check “Expiration Date” on the label. Flush old medicine down the toilet. Rinse out the container.
  • Keep products in the containers they came in. Don’t pour gasoline into a soda pop bottle, for example. You don’t want a child to mistake one for the other.
  • Store harmful products away from foods.
  • Get rid of any harmful products you don’t need. It’s better to discard a half can of paint thinner than to risk an accident. Call the garbage pickup agency. They have a special place for disposing of these products.


    • GROWING UP WITH PLANTS

    Plants add beauty to our homes. Plants and flowers are lovely in parks and gardens. But many plants can be dangerous. Poison ivy can cause a rash. Roses and some types of cactus have thorns. Some plants contain poison in the leaves, seeds or flowers. There are too many poisonous plants to name here. A few common ones are chinaberry, English ivy, lantana and oleander. Curious, crawling babies often want to play with plants.

    HERE ARE SOME PLANT SAFETY TIPS:

  • Know the name of every plant in and around your home. Find out which ones are poisonous.
  • If you have houseplants, put them out of reach. Store seeds and bulbs where your child cannot get them.
  • Remember that holiday plants can be poisonous. These include mistletoe, holly and poinsettia.
  • Encourage your baby to smell flowers and leaves. But don’t let her put them in her mouth.
  • Don’t eat wild plants, especially mushrooms.
  • Don’t make whistles, toys, garlands or wreaths from unknown plants.
  • Learn to identify poison oak and poison ivy. Don’t touch the leaves, stems, or roots.


    • What if your child gets into poison oak or poison ivy?

    As soon as possible:

    1. Take off all your baby's clothes.
    2. Wash her skin well with soap and water.
    3. Wash the clothes and shoes with hot water and soap.

    If your baby develops a rash, call your doctor.

    TEN SAFE PLANTS FOR YOUR HOME:

    These 10 plants are not poisonous. But plants may cause different reactions in different people. So make sure your child does not try to eat them. Teach her to pet the leaves instead.

  • African violet
  • Boston fern
  • Corn plant
  • Peperomia
  • Spider plant
  • Begonia
  • Coleus
  • Jade plant
  • Rubber plant
  • Swedish ivy


    • The American Association of Poison Control Centers’ (AAPCC) poison control hotline, 1-800-222-1222, should be on your list of emergency numbers. To learn more, you can visit the AAPCC Web site at www.aapcc.org/

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    Protect Your Child Against Poisons and Plants
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