Monday 22 June 2015

Little Explorers!

I was on call a few weeks ago when a 3-year old boy who had ingested 10 capsules of Indomethacin ( popularly called Indocid in this part of Nigeria) was rushed into the ER!
I was angry and felt like scolding the parents, but my first priority was this cute child, so I got working! And he survived, just like the 2-year old boy that drank Kerosene a week earlier.

However, a 2-year old girl wasn't that lucky! She was rushed in dead because she drank Snipper, a poisonous substance used to kill pests like rats and cockroaches. Angrily, I held back tears; another preventable death- If only her caregivers were careful and vigilant!




Dear parents, caregivers and readers, we owe our little ones the responsibility of keeping them safe and this includes keeping the environment safe.


Poisoning amongst kids is almost never intentional: most times, it's an accident!
Once a child can move about ( either by crawling or walking), they become explorers; they are curious and their mouth is the first place they put ALL things because according to Freud, they are in the oral stage of development. They don't know better!

But you do!



Here are a few tips to keep your environment poison proof:

Store medicine, cleaning and laundry products (including detergent packets), paints/varnishes and pesticides in their original packaging in locked cabinets or containers, out of sight and reach of children.
Safety latches that automatically lock when you close a cabinet door can help keep children away from dangerous products, but there is always a chance the device will malfunction. The safest place to store poisonous products is somewhere a child can’t reach.  



Purchase and keep all medicines in containers with safety caps and keep out of reach of children. Discard unused medication. Note that safety caps are designed to be child-resistant but are not fully child-proof.
Never refer to medicine as “sweet or candy” or another appealing name.
Check the label each time you give a child medicine to ensure proper dosage. For liquid medicines, use the dosing device that came with the medicine‎.

Do not place poisonous products in food or drink containers.
Keep coal, wood or kerosene stoves in safe working order.


And if you realise that your child might have ingested anything harmful, PLEASE DON'T TRY TO INDUCE VOMITING!
RUSH THE CHILD TO A HOSPITAL!

Remember that your child doesn't know better, but you should!

I hate to see kids die! It's unacceptable and can be prevented.


#Keepthechildsafe! ‎ 

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