Parents And Grandparents Need To Child-Proof Their Homes To Prevent Poisoning

Question: I am a nursing supervisor at a general hospital. Recently, there were three children admitted to our paediatric floor with poisoning over an 8-hour period. I am concerned about this. Please explain in your column the importance of keeping medications in a safe place.

Answer:

Thank you for raising this issue on behalf of all medical professionals who look after children. Many of us have seen children coming to emergency room because of poisoning from medications or other household items.

According to statistics from Canada and United States, thousands of children suffer from poisoning each year in North America. Most of these are totally preventable. Parents and caretakers have to pay attention to children’s safety in order to prevent these unnecessary injuries.

Over-the-counter and prescription medications account for the majority of poisoning in children. Drug companies have added syrup, flavours and bright colours to medicine to make children like their products. Some parents, in an attempt to get their children to take medicine, will call it “candy” without realizing that this can be dangerous. Their children can look for a treat and take an overdose of the “candy” medicine. Similarly, chewable vitamins are frequently mistaken as candies because of their flavour and shape.

It is important to keep all medications in bottles with “child-proof” caps. Some children can open these “child-proof” bottles if they have seen their parents doing it. Therefore, it is better not to open these bottles in front of children. Furthermore, all medications should be kept in a medicine cabinet that is out of reach of young children. A “child-proof” lock can be an additional safe-guard. It is also important to go through the medicine cabinet from time to time and remove the ones that have expired. For those medications that have to stay in the refrigerator, make sure that they are placed in the back and behind other items.

In addition to medicine, many household chemicals are also dangerous for children. There is usually a “poison label” on the container to indicate that it is dangerous. Make sure you keep these chemicals out of reach of children. They can be stored in higher cabinets, and there should be “child-proof” locks on the doors. Never put chemicals in food containers. Many children have died because they have mistaken these chemicals as food.

If your child did take an overdose of medicine or ingest a poisonous substance, immediately remove it. You should look for bad symptoms like severe sore throat, excessive drooling, difficulty breathing, drowsiness or convulsion. If you see any of these, bring your child and the poison (or medicine) to the closest emergency room. You can also call an ambulance, or ask your neighbour to drive you. If these symptoms are not there, you can call the poison control centre. In the Maritimes, the centre is located at IWK Health Centre, and their toll-free number is 1-800-565-8161. You should have this number close to your telephone.

When you call the centre, you should let them know what your child has taken, and how much. Sometimes they may request that you bring your child to an emergency room, and they will fax additional information there. Listen carefully and follow their instructions. Do not rely on the package label only, it is often wrong or out of date. Depending on the type of substance taken, the centre may advise you to give your child ipecac. This is a safe medicine which can induce vomiting. You should always have a bottle of ipecac at home, it is available at any pharmacy. The standard dose for children one to 5 years is one tablespoon, followed by one or two glasses of water. If your child does not vomit within 20 minutes, you can repeat the dose.

One final note: all grandparents should be careful with their medications and household chemicals also. If you want your grandchildren to have a happy and safe visit with you, look around the whole house before they come. You may want to “child-proof” your home also.