Is your Laundry Room Childproof

Is your Laundry Room Childproof? Anything within your child's reach can end up in his or her hands and mouth. Don't forget to check for safety hazards in your laundry room.

 Here are some great safety tips:

• Keep laundry detergent and other cleaning products in their original packaging
• Call Poison Control for Help 800-222-1222
• Store all cleaning products in locked cabinets or containers, out of sign and reach of children
• Install safety latches that lock when you close the door on child-accessible cabinets.
• Never let your children touch single-use laundry packets. The packets dissolve  quickly when in contact with water, wet hands or saliva
• Always follow the instructions on the product label
• Use childproof locks on front-loading washers and dryers
• Make sure laundry chute doors are childproof
• Keep irons and iron cords out of reach of children

 

Info from AAP 

Autism and Awareness and Poision Control week

Autism Awareness: Tom Fields-Meyer will discuss autism awareness. Fields-Meyer wrote Following Ezra, about his experience as a parent of a child with autism. A group of panelist also will weigh-in on this topic, including Doug Goldsmith from The Children's Center; Sam Goldstein, Editor and chief of Journal of Attention Disorders; and Pete Nicholas from the Carmen B Pingree Center for Children with Autism
     When: THURSDAY March 22 at 7 PM
     Where: Jewish Community Center, 2 N Medical Drive, SLC, UTAH
      Info: FREE, for details email moelsner@slcjcc.org or call 801-581-0098 ext 119
(Thanks Dr Lynch for this information )

This week is also POISON CONTROL WEEK. Recently we did a post all about Poison Control so click here to read all about it. A great reminder to make sure you have that phone number in your cell phones and on your fridge at home. Have a great week!
 **info from www.sltrib.com and www.willowcreekpediatrics.blogspot.com

  

Fact Friday: Poison Control helps more than 40,000 people a year!

The poison center helps more than 40,000 poison victims a year. (Including my 4 year old son last night--spraying Lysol in his eyes) Quick action could save a life.  About half of poisoning emergencies involve small children, but also provide immediate life-saving information for suicide attempts, medication errors, chemical spills, occupational exposures, product misuse, drug interactions and pet poisonings.  About 67% of Poison Center callers are treated at home...safely.  That saves the region's residents over $18 million/year in unnecessary health care costs. Reported poisonings are monitored for new or unusually dangerous hazards.  When we identify a problem, we urge manufacturers and government regulators to change the formulation, improve the closure or even ban the product.

ACT FAST  - if you think someone has been poisoned!

• If you find your 2-year-old with an open bottle of medicine
• If your spouse mixes household cleaners and can't stop coughing
• If your teenager overdoses
• If that liquid in the glass wasn't soda

• If you think someone has been poisoned....
Call 1-800-222-1222 right away!

Personal Experience:
Last night my four year old thought he would "spray" Lysol to make our house clean and instead it went straight into his eyes. I did many thing wrong from the start. First, I put my guard down since my children are older. I still have all my cleaning supplies locked up but this was sitting in plain sight in my kitchen. Second, I assumed that he was old enough to not use it after repeated warnings but lets be honest, he was a curious boy! Finally, I assumed it can't happen to me. My son is fine and I flushed it immediately like the bottle said and then called Poison Control. I have to admit I have called them several times, in my 11 years of parenting, and every time I am SO impressed with the calm, educated person on the other line giving me the EXACT information that I need to help my child.  Be sure to have what ever "poison" with you when you call--but once again I was humbled by the fact that we have such an amazing resource. So please use my personal experience as a Reminder!  At the end of my call she suggested me to follow up with my pediatrician or to call back if I had any other questions.

 Willow Creek is always here to answer any questions you may have and we will refer you to Poison Control if necessary. We at Willow Creek Pediatrics are very grateful for a wonderful service like this! Please pick up a magnet or sticker for your home so you have this number at hand. We have stacks at the office and would love to give them to you! Also, there is a APP for your smart phones and also click on this link for more information
 http://www.poison.org/home.asp or http://www.aapcc.org/dnn/PoisoningPrevention/Children.aspx
**info from Poison.org and Poison Prevention

Fact Friday: 2.4 million people swallow or have contact with poisonous substance

Each year, approximately 2.4 million people – more than half under age 6 – swallow or have contact with a poisonous substance. The American Academy of Pediatrics (AAP) has some important tips to prevent and to treat exposures to poison.

To poison proof your home: Most poisonings occur when parents or caregivers are home but not paying attention. The most dangerous potential poisons are medicines, cleaning products, antifreeze, windshield wiper fluid, pesticides, furniture polish, gasoline, kerosene and lamp oil. Be especially vigilant when there is a change in routine. Holidays, visits to and from grandparents’ homes, and other special events may bring greater risk of poisoning if the usual safeguards are defeated or not in place.

• Store medicine, cleaners, paints/varnishes and pesticides in their original packaging inlocked cabinets or containers, out of sight and reach of children.


• Install a safety latch – that locks when you close the door – on child-accessible cabinets containing harmful products.


• Purchase and keep all medicines in containers with safety caps. Discard unused medication.


• Never refer to medicine as “candy” or another appealing name.


• Check the label each time you give a child medicine to ensure proper dosage.


• Never place poisonous products in food or drink containers.


• Keep coal, wood or kerosene stoves in safe working order.


• Maintain working smoke and carbon monoxide detectors.

Treatment: If your child is unconscious, not breathing, or having convulsions or seizures due to poison contact or ingestion, call 911 or your local emergency number immediately. If your child has come in contact with poison, and has mild or no symptoms, call your poison control center at 1-800-222-1222

Different types and methods of poisoning require different, immediate treatment:

• Swallowed poison – Remove the item from the child, and have the child spit out any remaining substance. Do not make your child vomit. Do not use syrup of ipecac.


• Skin poison -- Remove the child’s clothes and rinse the skin with lukewarm water for at least 15 minutes.


• Eye poison -- Flush the child’s eye by holding the eyelid open and pouring a steady stream of room temperature water into the inner corner for 15 minutes.


• Poisonous fumes – Take the child outside or into fresh air immediately. If the child has stopped breathing, start cardiopulmonary resuscitation (CPR) and do not stop until the child breathes on his or her own, or until someone can take over. ©American Academy of Pediatrics 3/11 http://www.healthychildren.org/English/News/pages/Tips-for-Poison-Prevention-and-Treatment.aspx **info from AAP

During your spring cleaning this year, it is a great time to look very carefully at your house. If you have any questions please call your pediatrician.