In part one of the series, we shared information about how children find their way into poisonous substances throughout the home as they grow and explore their surroundings. Here, we share some tips about how to talk to children and teach them about poison.
Teaching Children About Poison:
By educating children about household poisons and regularly reinforcing a few basic rules, parents can greatly diminish the risk of poisoning.
Teaching toddlers about poisons: Use concrete terms they can understand like “big tummy-ache” or “make you sick” rather than telling them it is “dangerous” or “poisonous” which means very little to them. Use of facial expressions like sticking your tongue out or shaking your head back and forth while making your best icky face can teach them more than words. Of course, prevention is always the best medicine, but starting this education when you are cleaning with chemicals and children are around is a good start to start the discussion.
If you toddler reaches for a hazardous substance, try not to just shout “no” like all your other “no’s.” After all, this is the time of their life when “no” is a common word they are hearing and their life revolves around testing boundaries and doing everything they can to provoke as many no’s as possible, and then doing precisely the opposite of what you say. So instead, tap the item in question and say “No, no, no!” (Yes, say it three times) and then “Big tummy-ache…Sally get big tummy-ache.” Be sure to use the child’s name and most importantly, alter your facial expression to the most convincing look of concern you can muster. Children are masters of reading your expressions and they will get the message that your face means something different then the frustrated or angry face you have had the other thousand times you have said no.
Teaching preschoolers about poisons: By this age, children are old enough to begin to understand that everything is not safe to put in their mouths. Teach them to not eat anything or put anything in their mouth without checking with and adult first. Explain that some things that look harmless can hurt them badly. Point out the things in your home that are poisonous when you bring them home from the store or if they are in the garage helping you. Considering that the #1 cause of accidental poisonings is a child’s ignorance about what is harmful, you want to make them aware of every potentially poisonous thing around them. Don’t let a teachable moment pass you by.
Teaching elementary school children about poisons: In addition to the above, it is not unheard of to find cases of children exchanging prescription drugs in elementary school, even as early as kindergarten or first grade. Sometimes they know what they are doing or mimicking older siblings to be cool, and sometimes they are oblivious to the dangers. Either way, talk to your children about the dangers of prescription drugs. Remind them to never take any medication they get from a friend and explain that just because it comes in a pill form doesn’t mean it is safe. Prescription medications taken by people who don’t have the condition for which they are prescribed can be just as dangerous as illegal drugs.
Teach children they should never self-medicate. Trying to act grown up and take Tylenol for a headache like their parents do can turn into a disaster if what they think they are taking is not what they are actually taking. Give them the rule to only take medication if it comes straight from an adult and never try to treat them yourself.
If you Suspect a Child Poisoning:
1. Grab the package or pill container or a sample of what the child has been eating. Have it ready when you call poison control to determine the toxin and the proper treatment. If the child is unconscious and/or seizing, skip poison control and just call 911 directly.
2. It is no longer recommended that parents self-administer Ipecac syrup, since it often does more harm than good. It is often more harmful to have the substance come back up than it would be to have it stay in the stomach.