Securing Common Household Products From Your Child

According to the EPA and the American Association of Poison Centers, more than 1.7 million children ages six and under got into dangerous chemicals in the United States in 2012 alone. Clearly more needs to be done to protect our children from the dangerous chemicals lurking in our homes!

Dangerous Household Chemicals

While all or nearly all parents know that it is not safe for children to play around dangerous chemicals such as bleach or rat poison, these dangerous chemicals aren't the only ones that need to be kept away from children. The average American home has more dangerous chemicals than most people realize, and as evidenced by the number of calls to poison control, parents aren't doing enough to keep these dangerous chemicals out of the hands of their children.

In addition to harmful chemicals and poisons, other chemicals which should be kept away from children, include medicines, sanitizers, glue, swimming pool cleaners, make-­up and make-­up remover, paint and insect repellents - just to name a few.

Preventing Poisonings

Thankfully, preventing poisonings is usually quite simple. You just have to think ahead and imagine all of the worst case scenarios! At the very minimum, you should take these six steps.

1. Place dangerous products high enough that baby cannot reach them or climb to them.
2. If you must store products within reach, make sure they are behind a child­-proof lock and don't forget to set it.
3. Switch to all-­natural homemade cleaners as much as you can. They contain gentler ingredients that are still effective, but less likely to harm baby.
4. Don't overdo it on the chemicals. Just because baby doesn't actually get into the chemicals doesn't mean he or she cannot be harmed by them. Use chemicals frequently and they will be in the air and on every surface.
5. Throw out any cleaners you never or rarely use. The fewer cleaners you have, the fewer cleaners baby is able to get into.
6. Lastly, don't forget to put things away when you are done! None of these safety measures will do you much good if you forget a cleaner right where baby can reach it.

Poisonings are incredibly dangerous, but thankfully they can often be avoided. Know the facts and keep your baby safe.