Christmas and Winter Holidays

Poison Prevention Tips

  • Keep button batteries out of reach of children. Secure the battery compartment on remote controls, key fobs, cameras, watches, flameless candles, and every battery-powered product. Batteries lodged in the esophagus can burn a hole in just 2 hours, causing death or damage that will require extensive surgical repair and long term use of feeding and breathing tubes.
  • Use child-resistant packaging, especially if young children are ever around. Replace caps securely. Of children treated in an ER for medicine poisoning, 38% got into a grandparent’s medicine. More grandparents identified electrical outlets than medicine as a top safety issue, but 36 times more children go to the ER for medicine poisoning!
  • Decorate with nonpoisonous plants and place poisonous plants well out of children’s reach. Avoid holly and mistletoe berries.
  • Have children or grandchildren? Check out the poison prevention tips for the relevant ages. 
  • Assign someone to keep an eye on each child during parties, dinners, and get-togethers.
  • Keep the alcoholic drinks away from children! Alcohol causes a child’s blood sugar to drop, leading to seizures, coma and even death. Clean up drinks and cigarette butts right after the party; don’t leave them for the kids to find the next morning.
  • Mind the medicines when you travel or have visitors in your home. Provide visitors with a safe place to put their medicines, purses, and suitcases. 

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Learn the Poison Prevention Jingles

Learn the Poison Help jingle in English or Spanish. Use these jingles to teach the Poison Control number: 1-800-222-1222. Available for download.

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Poison Statistics

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