Raising Children Network: the Australian parenting website
  • Suitable for 0-8Years

Preventing poisoning

By Raising Children Network
 
 

Your house and garden are full of things you would never eat but which children find irresistible: kitty litter, potting mix, medicines and cleaning products to name a few. You can protect children by locking away or removing potential poisons.

Did you knowQuestion mark symbol

    The 8 most common child-related calls to the Victorian Poisons Information Centre are about:

    1. Paracetamol 
    2. cough and cold preparations
    3. rat poison and mice baits
    4. all-purpose/hard surface cleaners
    5. silica gel
    6. oral contraceptives
    7. antibiotics
    8. dishwashing detergents
 
For immediate and correct first-aid advice call the Poisons Information Centre on 131 126 (24 hours, Australia-wide).
  • Medicine is the most likely culprit – it accounts for 70% of all cases of children being poisoned. Just about all medicines are poisonous if taken in large enough doses. This includes vitamin pills and herbal remedies.
  • Poisoning can be prevented by putting things up high in locked cupboards or child-resistant containers. Remove, move and lock away dangerous items before your baby starts to move around.

Children under five will put things into their mouths to taste, suck, bite and swallow. Every year in Australia around 3500 children under five go to hospital with accidental poisoning.

Accidents with poison often coincide with changes in a child’s development - when children display new curiosity, learn how to climb to a higher shelf, or how to open a new type of container. Toddlers are most at risk. They are curious and restless and too young to be cautious about chewing potting mix, eating pills or swallowing liquids that are left around the house.

Most accidents with poison happen at home – almost all of the 140 000 calls received each year by the Poisons Information Centre relate to incidents where children have swallowed something harmful at home. Almost four out of five of these calls are about children under five.

Many things become poisonous when they are not used in the way they are intended. Once you know what sorts of substances are dangerous, it's easier to protect your child.

Preventing poisoning

  • Before your child starts moving and climbing, make sure all dangerous items are out of reach.
  • Keep all medicines, house cleaners and chemicals in child-resistant containers or locked cupboards that children can't open. Look for child-resistant lids, and store medicines and chemicals up high so that children can't climb to them.
  • Avoid storing detergents, paint thinners and other hazardous liquids in empty soft drink or juice bottles so that children don't think they've found something nice to drink.
  • Keep an extra eye out when you move house, go on holiday, go visiting, or have visitors over.
  • If your child needs to take medicine, read the instructions and measure it carefully, and always supervise your children while they're taking medicine. If you are in any way unsure about how much to give or for how long, talk to your doctor or pharmacist.
  • When friends come to visit, make sure their handbags are out of children’s reach, as these may contain medicines.
Not all poisons have a picture of a skull and crossbones on the label. Everyday items like cleaners, detergents, chemicals, plants, and paints can poison your baby or child.
 
  • Last reviewed04-05-2006
  • References

    Ashby, K., & Routley, V. (1996). Childhood domestic chemical and plant poisonings. Hazard, 28, 1-16.

    Routley, V., Ozanne-Smith, J., & Ashby, K. (1996). Poisonings in early childhood. Hazard, 27, 1-16.

    Victorian Injury Surveillance System (1989). Drug safety and poison control. Hazard, 4, 1-9.