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Accidental Poisonings

6 Things You Need to Know Now

By Alexandria Powell

To really know what your child might come in contact with, see things from his point of view, Dr. Csukas says. "Crawl around on the floor so you get the child's view of the world and what is accessible to him," she says. Look for products you rarely use, stored in low cabinets and forgotten. In the garage or basement, look for spilled chemicals.

Finally, be mindful of what others bring into your home. "One of the more common problems is when grandparents come over, and there's Grandma's purse," Dr. Mazur says. This can be very attractive to a small child. "It always has candy in it, and it's sitting right there on the floor," she says. However, Grandma's purse may also contain medication, and since she doesn't have small children at home anymore, her medication may not be in child-resistant packaging.

Most families have no idea what might be growing in or around their yard, says Jerry Weisenhahn, a pharmacist with the Cincinnati Drug and Poison Information Center. That's bad news because even if you know your kids would never eat the berries on the bush by the fence, your neighbors' kids might.

Prepare in advance by looking around your yard and becoming familiar with everything growing in it. If you come across a plant you can't identify, take a cutting to a local nursery for identification, Weisenhahn says. In he event a child consumes some part of the plant, you'll be able to give the poison center correct information – possibly saving precious minutes.

Want to see more?

• Too Many Toxins: Keeping Poisons Away from Curious Hands
• Creating the Home Medical Kit: Have What You Need at Your Fingertips
• Protect Your Child Against Poisons: Hidden Hazards Lurk in Common Household Products
• Check out our Article Library.
• Talk about it!

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