Our children are precious to us. We talk to them about stranger danger, and we baby proof the house! We do whatever we think we need to, to keep them safe! But there are 5 Household Dangers you may be overlooking. Things common to most homes, and yet they can be deadly for children.
Be informed!
5 Household Dangers to Know About:
- The journal Pediatrics has published a study of laundry detergent pods, finding that about one child is poisoned every hour. It is the first comprehensive study of data from the National Poison Data System. From 2012-2013, about 17,230 children under the age of 6 were injured by laundry detergent pods, 700 children were seriously sickened, and at least one child died.
- about three-quarters of incidents involved children under 3 years old. About 80% of injuries occurred after the child swallowed the detergent. Injuries like corneal abrasions can also occur after a child squirts the detergent into their eyes.
- The problem with “pods” is that they contain a highly-concentrated formula with a higher amount of surfactant compared to regular detergent. These ingredients are more likely to cause serious side effects in children.
- Recent lawsuits: One of the lawsuits was filed on behalf of an elderly man with diminished mental capacity who ingested Tide Pods. Another lawsuit was filed on behalf of 13 children under six years old who were injured, according to WCPO Cincinnati.
- Another problem is that the products [TidePods and other laundry pods] resemble candy — they are brightly-colored, sweet-smelling, squishy, candy-sized objects that were originally packaged in clear containers that resemble candy jars.
If you’ve ever seen detergent pods in person – you know how deceptive they can look It’s easy to see how a child could mistake them for a yummy treat. If you use detergent pods – be sure they are kept far away from children!
Button Cell Batteries – These tiny batteries look like silver candy, and are often used in kids electronics. Be sure to change button batteries far away from kids, and be sure their toys have locked battery compartments.
Alcohol – You may know to keep adult beverages away from kids, but things like hand sanitizer, cough syrup and mouthwash all have alcohol in them, that can poison children!
Medications – Relaying on the child proof caps of medicines to protect our children from accidental ingestion, is taking a big chance. Those caps can fail, and it can take very little adult medicine to poisoin child.
Cosmetics – It’s especially important to keep cosmetics with strong chemicals away from kids. Nail polish, nail polisher remover, and hairspray often have high levels of deadly chemicals in them.
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