: How to Make your Home Poison Safe for Children
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(479 Words)
When you think of the word poison, you may think of a bottle of green liquid with a skull and crossbones on it. When you are thinking of children, however, everyday items such as soap, cleaners and of course medications turn into poison. They are literally all around you, and you want your home to be poison-safe.
First you need to identify the items that need to be put away. You will want to be sure to find anything and everything that could be a poison. Of course you probably know about medications, but you need to also remember that vitamins and supplements can be poisons for children as well. In fact, overdosing on iron is one of the most common reasons that children go to the emergency room. Also think about soaps and cleaners that you use. Even those that are natural are usually not meant to be gulped down. Consider makeup. Perfumes and other items like that can turn into poison for a child. Think about rubbing alcohol. Even hand sanitizers have caused some poisoning incidents in children. Make sure that all car chemicals are away. Make of these are brightly colored liquids, which may resemble a sweet drink to the children. There may be other household chemicals such as pool chemicals, chemicals you use for a fish tank, gardening supplies, repellents and of course any pest control supplies. Even some foods can be a problem for little kids. For instance, honey can hurt a baby under one. Go through your house and look for anything that could possibly be a poison for your little ones.
You now need to put all of the items away. Where you put the poisons will depend on what it is – obviously you are not going to put your medications with your pool cleaning supplies. Make sure that the children cannot get to it. A locked cabinet (that the children cannot break into) might work. You can put it in a room that is always locked. Of course make sure that you never leave it unlocked, even for a second, because that is all the time it takes for a child to sneak in and get it. You can use child safety locks, but remember that not all of these are foolproof for a clever child. Also, no matter if you have a great storage place, if you leave the chemicals out, even for just a moment, you can have a problem. If you put them up high then consider whether the child could climb to it or use something like a broom to bat it down. Make sure that there is NO way that they can possibly get to any of the chemicals.
It is absolutely vital to keep all poisons of any type away from little prying hands. Use the above tips to keep your children safe at home.
Updated On: 09/21/2010 Published On: 09/21/2010 Article ViewerClose
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