Health Topics for Child Health and Development

UI Children's Hospital

UI Family Care Centers

Divisions Within the Department of Pediatrics

Iowa Registry for Congenital and Inherited Disorders

Poison prevention

Each year many children are poisoned in their homes, garages, or yards. With some simple steps, such poisonings are almost entirely preventable.

The American Academy of Pediatrics makes these recommendations for poison-proofing your home:

• Store drugs and medications in a medicine cabinet that is locked or out of reach from children. Do not keep toothpaste in the same cabinet.

• Buy and keep medication in containers with child-proof caps. Discard prescription drugs after taking the prescribed amount.

• Do not take medicine in front of small children. Never coax a child into taking medicine by calling it candy.

• Check the label every time you give medicine. Do this when you pick it up, before giving it, and when you put it back. This ensures that you will be giving the right medicine and the correct dosage. At night, always turn on the light to avoid mistakes.

• Read labels on all household products before you buy them. Find the least toxic ones for the job. Buy only what you need to use right away.

• Store hazardous products in locked cabinets that are out of your child's reach. Do not keep detergents, treatment for blocked drains, and other cleaning products under the kitchen sink unless the cabinet has a safety lock.

• Never store poisonous or toxic products in the same cabinet as food or in containers that were once used for food.

• Never run your car in a closed garage.

• Store all hazardous materials and chemicals in locked cabinets.

• Be sure that coal, wood, or kerosene stoves are properly maintained. If you smell gas, turn off the stove or gas burner, leave the house, and then call the gas company.

• Keep a small bottle of syrup of ipecac on hand. This is a medicine that induces vomiting. Store it out of reach with your other medicines. Use it only when, and as, directed by your local poison control center or your pediatrician.

• Post the number for the poison control center near every telephone in your home, along with emergency numbers. Be sure that the babysitter knows how to use these numbers.

More poison control tips include:

• keep all plants, cosmetics, and alcoholic beverages away from children's reach

• use only lead-free paint or non-toxic finishes on furniture and toys that children may chew on and

• be very careful not to let your child get into a purse that may contain aspirin, vitamins, or other drugs

An ounce of prevention is truly worth a pound of cure. Take these steps and protect your children.

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