Tips to prevent child poisonings!
Teach your children that medicine is not candy!
It’s National Poison Prevention Week, and I wanted to share some personal stories about how lucky Georgians are to have the Georgia Poison Center operated through Grady Health System. It is a free 24-hour hotline that anyone can call with questions about human or animal poisonings. They can diagnose and treat poisonings over the phone. They also can tell you about drug interactions and if you are nursing, they can advise if medicines you are taking can transfer through your breast milk.
I have personally called the GPC, which is supervised by the Emory University School of Medicine Department of Pediatrics, on many occasions. I have found them to be a reliable, professional resource that literally saved my son’s life when he was little.
Here are examples of when I called the GPC during nine years of parenting three kids (Please don’t be mean to me for admitting these to you guys!!I am fully aware of my stupidity and no one could make feel worse than I felt at the time.):
- I left a closed bottle of medicine on the counter while I went to get a second dispenser. (Both kids were sick.) When I returned to the bathroom I found a 3-year-old Walsh drinking it like it was Gatorade. (He had opened the not so child-proof container!) I immediately called the GPC and they advised that I had one-hour to get him to the hospital before it entered his blood stream. They called ahead to the ER and the doctors were waiting by the front door of the hospital for us and immediately took Walsh back.
- I was planting flowers in our front yard when Rose was about 2. I turned around to pick up another flower and found Rose eating a small amount of granules of fertilizer. I called the GPC and they said it was fine and she would be OK. I think around that time she also nibbled some dog food, but they said that was OK too. (Clearly she was into things at 2.)
- I was nursing Walsh but had to take a steroid for tendinitis from pushing that ridiculously heavy double stroller. Walsh came down with a fever and Michael was convinced it was my fault because of the steroids. Our lactation consultant and pediatrician had approved it before I started taking the drug, but he was scaring me that the drug was affecting him through my milk. It was well past the doctor’s office hours, but I called the GPC and they assured me I was not doing anything to hurt my baby by taking the steroids. (And Michael shut up about it. The baby was just sick.)
- Multiple calls about acceptable medications for me to take while nursing with all three babies.
- Last year, Lilina got into a cabinet (again, thank goodness the childproof lock worked so well!) and was “cleaning” the bathroom for me. I had no idea if she drank the cleaner so I called GPC to discuss it. He told me the active ingredients in that product wouldn’t hurt her even if she had and to flush her system I think with water (maybe it was milk).
I think that’s all the times I called. Seems like plenty! But thank goodness they were there to take my calls and help me know what to do.
I’m not alone in needing the GPC for advice. In 2009, the GPC answered 115,669 calls. Of these, 83,719 were human poisoning exposures, with more than 50% involving children under age five. The Specialists in Poison Information (SPI) treated 75% of these calls at home via telephone consultation, thereby eliminating unnecessary trips to the emergency room or doctor’s office.
Here are some tips the GPC sent me to share with your guys to help prevent poisonings:
- Store medicines, vitamins, household cleaners, cosmetics, lawn, and automotive products in locked cabinets out of the reach and sight of children.
- Use child resistant packaging and replace the lids tightly.
- Be aware that child resistant does not mean child-proof; some children can open child resistant containers
- Never take prescription medicine that belongs to someone else, even if you have the same symptoms.
- Never refer to medicine as “candy”
- Read labels and follow the directions on all medicine and household product containers
- Do not mix cleaning products
- Teach children never to taste anything without an adult’s permission
- Know the name of all the plants in your home
- Install at least one carbon monoxide detector near the sleeping areas in your home
- Never use an oven or gas stove to heat your home
- Do not go near, tease or play with wild animals or strange dogs and cats
- Do not pick up or move a sick or hurt wild animals
- Keep the phone number to the Georgia Poison Center near all phones in your home, or program the number into your phones
If you suspect a poisoning, have any poison related questions, or need poison prevention materials, call the Georgia Poison Center at 1-800-222-1222
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166 comments Add your comment
Oww my eyes hurt because I saw words that I think is bad.....
March 18th, 2010
2:15 pm
Grow up people. There is no free speech here, however the two words are far from obscene. If you don’t believe me, watch some TV.
It is a spurious assumption that “RB” is male.
Roamoing Gnome
March 18th, 2010
2:16 pm
Becky, they make medication for that :)
Becky
March 18th, 2010
2:20 pm
I’m sure they do..This is probably why she’s divorced and lives at home with her Mom..
Roamoing Gnome
March 18th, 2010
2:23 pm
***shudder***
Wayne, "Irregardless"...
March 18th, 2010
2:27 pm
…is not a word!
Hey, Owww
March 18th, 2010
2:30 pm
…nobody is saying anything is obscene – in poor taste, yes – and others have been banned for seemingly other innocuous “handles” of much lesser graphic content.
JJ
March 18th, 2010
2:31 pm
Michelle – I’m sorry it was hyper-parathyroidism. Catch 22 – too much calcium in the body, remove the glands, now guess what – I have to take a calcium supplement every day!!!!!! Go figure.
JJ
March 18th, 2010
2:34 pm
My brother SHARES a plate with his dog.
MomsRule
March 18th, 2010
2:34 pm
The belief that a dogs mouth is “cleaner” than a humans is inaccurate. Both contain bacterias but not all dog bacteria can be transmitted to people.
But if it makes you feel better to think it is cleaner – enjoy.
Wayne
March 18th, 2010
2:34 pm
Pardon? It’s not a word, or did I use it incorrectly? Hmmm… Let’s just Google it shall we? Seems to be a word, but there is a bunch of controversy surrounding it due to it being a double negative. I’ll go with I used the word incorrectly – especially since it is in the Oxford Dictionary.
Roamoing Gnome
March 18th, 2010
2:35 pm
I am gonna need clorox for my eyes
Roamoing Gnome
March 18th, 2010
2:36 pm
ir·re·gard·less
/ˌɪrɪˈgɑrdlɪs/ Show Spelled[ir-i-gahrd-lis] Show IPA
–adverbNonstandard.
regardless.
Use irregardless in a Sentence
See images of irregardless
Search irregardless on the Web
Origin:
1910–15; ir-2 (prob. after irrespective) + regardless
—Can be confused: irregardless, regardless (see usage note at this entry).
—Usage note
Irregardless is considered nonstandard because of the two negative elements ir- and -less. It was probably formed on the analogy of such words as irrespective, irrelevant, and irreparable. Those who use it, including on occasion educated speakers, may do so from a desire to add emphasis. Irregardless first appeared in the early 20th century and was perhaps popularized by its use in a comic radio program of the 1930s.
Michelle
March 18th, 2010
2:37 pm
JJ-I figured after what you said it was your parathyroid! If it’s not one darn thing it’s another right! At least calcium is somewhat replacable! Just an example of too much is not always a good thing!
EWWW…to sharing a plate (or a fork)! My ex used to feed his dog from his fork. Granted, she just plucked the food off with her teeth, but still…..
Wayne
March 18th, 2010
2:38 pm
Thanks Roamoing Gnome!
Roamoing Gnome
March 18th, 2010
2:39 pm
8 year old girl in Atlanta lost her arm this week… hmmmm wonder how clean that dogs mouth was…. and why is she hooked up to IV’s…
MomsRule
March 18th, 2010
2:42 pm
@Lori – we have at least a couple birds nest in our garage every year. Last year one of the babies made it into the house and spent hours in the laundry before I could catch the little thing. We end up having to leave the garage door partially open just so they can go in and out to care for the little ones.
While they can be an inconvenience I actually enjoying watching them. I have no ideas how to help you as we have not been succesful in our attempts to discourage the garage nesting.
SRH
March 18th, 2010
2:44 pm
I do have a dog and 2 cats. They do sleep with me and my husband. I clean the sheets every other day, and the pillowcases every day. They have their own plates and I would not share my food or bowl with them. They do lick from time to time…. but not excessively.
.
March 18th, 2010
2:45 pm
Enter your comments here
Still,
March 18th, 2010
2:47 pm
Enter your comments here
Roamoing Gnome
March 18th, 2010
2:48 pm
SRH, I have a cat and a parrot.. my cat thinks her bed is my back :)
Still, Wayne...
March 18th, 2010
2:48 pm
…it is NOT a word that one uses when speaking proper English – must be a northern thing to want to use improper English, ain’t that right?
SRH
March 18th, 2010
2:50 pm
@roamoing gnome – funny. We went to a king bed to make room for all of us, but seems I still get maybe 1/2 foot of room :)
Wayne
March 18th, 2010
2:51 pm
Y’all got me thar!
Wayne
March 18th, 2010
2:52 pm
Animals on the bed. I had to stop that when I was on the edge of the bed about to fall off. No way man… It’s MY bed!
MomsRule
March 18th, 2010
2:52 pm
LMAO Wayne!
Roamoing Gnome
March 18th, 2010
2:55 pm
SRH give them an inch they will take a mile :)
SRH
March 18th, 2010
2:55 pm
It is funny how we will twist ourselves into very uncomfortable shapes so that they sleep well!
Dog's mouths - from the mouth of a vet...
March 18th, 2010
2:55 pm
Pet lovers can’t get enough affection from their pooches. And if licking is loving, they get a lot of loving.
But is it really safe to kiss a dog, considering where they often put their mouths?
“Their saliva is much cleaner and if you have a cut or anything, if they lick it — it’s healing,” one woman told “20/20″ while being interviewed in New York City.
Proof From a Veterinarian
To find out just who has a cleaner mouth, we asked veterinarian and fellow dog lover Marty Becker, author of “Chicken Soup for the Dog Owner’s Soul,” to offer his opinion.
“They raid the garbage can. You know, we give each other a peck on the cheek when we say hello, they give each other a peck on the rear end,” said Becker. “All you got to do is look, watch, smell and you’ll realize that that is not true.”
He thinks the myth that a dog’s mouth is clean stems from their practice of licking their wounds.
“And they’ll be licking that wound and you’ll notice that the wound heals very fast … what that tongue does is it gets rid of the dead tissue,” said Becker.
He compares that tongue lashing to the work of a surgeon who cleans out a wound, and said the licking also stimulates circulation.
Go Ahead, Give Them a Kiss
If you want to give your pooch a kiss, it may be safer than kissing another human.
Becker says many of the bacteria in the mouth of a dog are species specific, so it won’t harm its owner.
“So a staph or a strep for a human is not transmissible to a dog, if you were to kiss it, and vice versa,” said Becker.
Bottom line — you’re more likely to get a serious illness from kissing a person than kissing a dog. But since dogs do transmit some germs, Becker has some advice: “Keep the vaccines current. Good external parasite control, good internal parasite control. You’re going to be good to go.”
And then, he says you can kiss them all you want.
“They love us unconditionally, they make us laugh,” said Becker. “If we’re going to give them a little kiss to thank them for that, then that’s good by me.”
***
March 18th, 2010
3:00 pm
PUKE
Kris
March 18th, 2010
3:01 pm
My former in-laws used to put their plates of unfinished food on the floor for the dogs to eat, then washed
the dishes. Made it very hard for me to enjoy eating dinner there. Not to mention the cats that walked all
over the kitchen counters.
Theresa...
March 18th, 2010
3:02 pm
the blog Nazi’s are censoring my comments. I have been good to go all day, and now they will not show.
JJ
March 18th, 2010
3:03 pm
Yea, I have two cats and two dogs in bed with me. If I go to bed without an animal, I hear about it all night long……especially if I shut my door. One cat will howl, the other will start pulling up carpet, my lab with scratch the door and cry. But the puppy is ALWAYS in bed ready for the night. She puts herself to bed around 8:00 every night…….all curled up on my pillows.
Something about a closed door drives my animals nuts. I could leave the bedroom door open all night long, Nothing……but close it, and they all seem to know…….
JJ
March 18th, 2010
3:04 pm
Roamoing Gnome – could the IV’s be for, or I don’t know, losing a LIMB……nothing to do with dog germs………
TechMom
March 18th, 2010
3:06 pm
Still not letting the dogs lick me
.William Melvin Hicks
March 18th, 2010
3:08 pm
I saw a child on a leash today. Isn’t that horrible? Put him in the pound where he belongs.
Kris
March 18th, 2010
3:08 pm
My dog and I have a deal. I don’t lick her face, eat her food, or sleep in her bed. And she doesn’t do those things to me (mine) either!
Thanks, JJ..
March 18th, 2010
3:09 pm
…I was trying to comment the say way when the Nazi censor kept eating my response…
motherjanegoose
March 18th, 2010
3:10 pm
@ Wayne…I almost forgot what I was going to tell you after I read all the other posts…my sister’s dog was like the dog on MY THREE SONS….are you old enough to remember that ancient show? I know he weighed at least 50 pounds….maybe I have the breed mixed up?
Confession to make: I just got a ticket for going 35 in a 25 MPH speed zone “downtown” here in Fargo…..the ticket was $11….WHAT? Now, I have had 3 tickets in 35 years and 49 states….OHIO, IOWA AND NORTH DAKOTA.
My husband told me to tell my clients that if you ever drive 25 in Atlanta, you will get run over. Does anyone in Atlanta drive 25, unless they are near a school zone?
That is the speed limit in our neighborhood.
I will check in with you Michelle, when I am actually home!
Have a good day all!
Michelle
March 18th, 2010
3:14 pm
SRH…no kidding! I want to know how a 6 pound dog takes up so much darn space!! Between him and the husband, I get very little room! ;o) I guess I’m lucky enough to have a bed, husband and pet so I need to count my blessings! LOL!
TechMom
March 18th, 2010
3:15 pm
@MJG they really must have nothing better to do in Fargo. And it was an $11 ticket- uh-mazing.
JJ
March 18th, 2010
3:18 pm
Did you pay them right there on the spot, or do you have to go to court for that $11.00????
Goes to prove the old theory...
March 18th, 2010
3:25 pm
…that if you will just stay 9mph over the speed limit that hardly any police dept will give you a ticket (state troopers/highway patrol are a different story, though most will also give you that much leeway – I do believe, howeer, that someone a couple of weeks ago mentioned going 57 in a 55 and getting stopped by the HP). And mamajane was going 10mph over!
Becky
March 18th, 2010
3:26 pm
@Still Wayne..No it’s not just a northern thing, I’m from the south and I’ve heard it used lots of times..Don’t you know that us Shoutherner’s have our own language?
TechMom
March 18th, 2010
3:36 pm
One other phrase that always gets me is “I could care less” when talking about something you don’t care about. Doesn’t that imply that you care some, otherwise you couldn’t care less than you do now? I think it should be “I couldn’t care less” because I don’t care at all and therefore could not care any less than I already do.
Irregardless, I couldn’t care less.
JJ
March 18th, 2010
3:36 pm
Examples of southerese –
Fascinate. My blouse has nine buttons, but I can only fascinate.
Mommanem – How’s your family?
J’eatyet – Have you had dinner yet?
Ya’ll – Everyone, singluar
All Ya’ll – plural.
’nuff said – I have nothing further to comment.
motherjanegoose
March 18th, 2010
3:38 pm
Well, I had no IDEA that the speed limit was 25 or I would have stayed under 35. Having driven in Atlanta for 20 years and all over the country….try driving 25…you could probably walk faster :).
@ JJ…I can either figure out where the courthouse is and park, then go in and pay the fine or mail it in. The stamp looks like a time saving option to me.
I will tell you that I got stopped going 13 in a 10 MPH on a military base when I was bringing dinner to my husband at 9:00 p.m. over 25 years ago. That was the first time I was ever pulled over and I was scared to death. Have any of you ever driven 10 mph? Yeah…backing out of your driveway or in the carpool lane at school?
It always cracks me up when the officer asks me,
“Is this a rental car?”
No, I stole it….did you not run the tag? I have never had a ticket driving my own car and they ask me the same question every time.
TechMom
March 18th, 2010
3:38 pm
I thought it was y’all (you know, a contraction of you and all)?
Kris
March 18th, 2010
3:44 pm
Yes, TechMom. It is y’all.
DB
March 18th, 2010
3:46 pm
@MJG: It’s the only car they’ve seen in Fargo in the last two weeks . . . :-)
TechMom
March 18th, 2010
3:48 pm
@MJG actually it’s probably the only clean car without 12 lbs of sand and salt stuck to it.