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Sometimes you don’t realize how many common household items are poisonous until you have kids. Once you are responsible for little ones and their safety, you suddenly see dangers everywhere, from the pantry to the medicine cabinet. With poison centers around the country receiving 2 million reports of accidental poisoning per year, this is a legitimate concern. Here are a few tips for making sure this scary problem doesn’t affect your family:
Install Safety Latches
As soon as your baby is old enough to begin crawling, it’s time to install safety latches on cupboards and cabinets, especially those containing potentially poisonous household items. Before you know it, you will have a very curious toddler getting into everything they can, so it’s best to be proactive. You will not only be protecting your child from potentially poisonous items, but also from dangers like kitchen knives and slamming cabinet doors.
Keep the Local Poison Control Number Accessible
Accidental poisoning can happen in a split second, even with the most vigilant parents. To be on the safe side, keep your local poison control number programmed in your cell phone (as well as your significant other’s, grandparents’, and babysitters’ phones) plus clearly labeled on the refrigerator or your kitchen whiteboard. If you suspect your child has ingested something dangerous, every second will be precious and you won’t want to waste time searching for the right emergency number.
Keep Medication Completely Out of Reach
Medication, including prescriptions and over the counter drugs like Advil, should always be stored out of reach of children, and ideally in a locked cabinet that they don’t have a key to. Even if you think your unlocked medicine cabinet is too high for your kids to get into, you may be surprised by how easily an industrious toddler can find ways to climb up to get something they’re curious about. Likewise, child-resistant pill bottles are a good idea, but keep in mind there is no such thing as a completely child-proof bottle.
Store Household Cleaners Up High
Part of child-proofing your home with poison prevention in mind involves rearranging some household items from their usual spots. Instead of storing household cleaning products under the sink, it’s best to store them in a high, out of reach cabinet with a good quality safety latch.
Use Natural Pest Control
Laying out rat poison for that pesky mouse you saw sneaking around your kitchen is simply a no-no when you have kids. Most commercial pest control products are extremely toxic for kids, so it’s best to opt for natural methods where possible. For more serious pest issues, call a professional pest control company and explain that you have small children at home so they can accommodate their safety.
Don’t Tell Your Kids that Medicine Tastes Like Candy
It may seem innocent, but getting your kids to take medicine when they’re sick by telling them it tastes like candy sends the wrong message. The last thing you want is for your kids to seek out medicine in your home because they think it’s candy. Explain to your kids that medication must always be handled by an adult.
At Fluent, it’s our mission to keep families like yours safe. Contact us today for more information about our home security and automation options.[:]
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