Poisons
If your baby or toddler swallows tablets, vitamin pills or any other medicines or
pills, ring your doctor or hospital for advice or take him straight to hospital, along
with the remains of the substance he has swallowed. This makes identification easier and
may help speed up treatment.
Babies and toddlers will try to eat the most amazing things and even everyday objects
can poison them. The following household items can be dangerous and babies and toddlers
have been known to try to eat them:
- Vitamin pills can look like sweets and in quantity can be very dangerous
- Fluoride tablets
- Alcohol (even small amounts can make babies very ill or kill them)
- Cigarettes (yes, babies have been known to try to eat them!)
- Face cream and make up
- Contraceptive pills left beside the bed
- Pills found in mum’s handbag or a visitor’s handbag left on the floor
- Flowers, house plants, the soil in the plant pot
- Loo freshener blocks in the loo
- Loo cleaner tucked behind the loo
- Washing up liquid
- Dog and cat food left on the floor
- Dishwasher powder is very strong and can burn a baby’s mouth and tongue
