Have Little Ones at Home? Learn About Poison Prevention

“This is a sponsored post written by me on behalf of Nationwide Mutual Insurance Company. All opinions are 100% mine.”

As a Mom, the safety of my family, but specially my kids is of my utmost concern. Like most parents, I normally associate dangerous situations with being outside of the home, without fully realizing the potential similar situations to arise at home.

Poison Prevention Week takes place in March, so what a better time to share the useful and important information about poison prevention. Nationwide’s “Make Safe Happen” campaign is dedicated to reducing accidental injury—the leading cause of death of children, and although it’s not a joyful topic to commonly talk about, it’s a message that should be shared.

For the most part, we all grew up with our parents telling us to stay away from key toxic products, like Mom telling us not to touch anything under the kitchen sink, yet 2 in 5 parents (43%) have kept cleaning solutions in a low, unlocked cabinet (Source: Nationwide survey). Or Dad telling us to not play with paint, solvents, glues, gasoline, yet 1,009 kids 5 and younger were exposed to single-load laundry packets from Jan. 1, 2016, to Jan. 31, 2016. Exposure meaning ingested, inhaled, absorbed by the skin or eyes, etc. (Source: AAPCC).

Times have changed, and just like our gadgets there are poisons that didn’t even exist back then, that are all over our homes now—think of cell phone batteries, certain kinds of medications, sanitizers, etc.

There are a few key items that are part of Nationwide’s “Make Safe Happen” poison prevention campaign that I’d like to share with you, and remember that you can never be too careful.

Use Safety: Although you may be familiar with many of the items that are poisonous, there are many more that also need to be kept out of your child’s sight and reach. It’s best to avoid even using chemicals in front of kids, especially if they are five years old and younger.
Safe Storage and Disposal: Keep any household cleaners or medicines in the original containers, out of sight and reach, and in a locked cabinet. Immediately dispose of old or unused chemicals and medicines.
Be Prepared: If you suspect or know that a child has ingested or come into contact with any poison, call the poison Help Number. Take a moment to save the Poison Control number to you phone: (1-800-222-1222).

See the 4 most common poisons around the home:

Laundry Packets

The Risk: Laundry packets are often bite-size, colorful packages that looks like child toys, yet contain high chemical concentrations which are harmful to children when ingested. Risks also include chemical burns to the eyes, skin, nose, and mouth as well.
The Advice: Use carefully and store them up and away and in original containers. You can also watch this video on laundry packet poisoning prevention.

Button Batteries

The Risk: Button batteries are often small tablet-shaped objects that are enticing to children to put in their mouths, but can cause electrical/chemical burns when swallowed. These buttons can be found in kids’ favorite things like mom or dad’s cell phone, singing greeting cards, keys, watches and more.
The Advice: Keep batteries away from kids. For battery operated items make sure the battery compartments are secure (require a screwdriver to open). For battery compartments that do not require a screwdriver to open, use duct tape to keep them from becoming loose or batteries from falling out.

Hand Sanitizer

The Risk: Hand sanitizers might look/smell like candy but may have dangerous levels of alcohol, presenting risks to children when ingested.
The Advice: Supervise use, keep stored up and away

Medications

The Risk: Kids often can’t tell the difference between medicine and candy. Additionally, those child resistant medicine lids and packaging aren’t always 100% child proof. All this can lead to accidental ingestion. It’s also good to check purses and drawers. These are common places where medicines are kept and kids have access.

The Advice: Keep medicines in their original container and stored away from kids. Also make sure you dispose of them properly. To dispose of medications yourself: Remove the medication from its packaging and pour it into a sealable plastic bag. If you’re throwing out pills, add water to dissolve them. Mix in cat litter, sawdust or used coffee grounds and toss it in the garbage.

E-Cigarrettes

The Risk: E-cigarettes are filled with flavorful nicotine that smells and tastes sweet, but the levels of nicotine can be harmful to children.
The Advice: Keep refills and vaping supplies locked up and away

Nationwide’s “Make Safe Happen” campaign has made it extra simple to keep your family safe, and together with the Nationwide Children’s Hospital, created an app for iPhone and Android.

Download the app here!