Sadly, despite the very best efforts of parents, teachers, friends and government authorities, young children aged 0-4 still have the highest rate of hospitalisation for accidental poisoning of any age group.
This is simply because young children just don’t know or understand what’s inside many of the bottles and containers in our homes, childcare centres, schools, workplaces and other parts of the world. And they are naturally inquisitive.
So, it is our job as adults to protect them from such dangers. But we can’t always be there watching over them 24 hours a day. The next best thing to prevention (which is vital) is knowing what to do and how to handle an incident after a child swallows poison.
Handling accidental child poisonings – the first thing to know
The most important thing to remember, if your child does swallow poison, is NOT to panic. At a time like this the best help you can be to your child is someone who stays calm and knows what they are doing.
If you do, you will greatly increase the chance of a positive outcome for your child.
The best way to stay calm is to arm yourself with knowledge. If you know the facts about child poisonings and what to do to help your child in an emergency you will be best able to care for them.
Chances of survival and recovery from childhood poisonings
These days, if you get a child who has been accidentally poisoned to a hospital or doctor quickly, the chances of survival are very, very high. There are so many successful treatments available these days to counteract the effects of poisons that the recovery rate for kids, even babies and toddlers, is very high.
As an example, in the US, where there is something like 60,000 hospital admissions each year for children who accidentally swallow a poison, the death rate is very low. In 2018 alone, only 17 children out of the tens of thousands admitted to hospital for accidental poisoning actually passed away, representing a 92% fall in the fatality rate since 1972! *
*Source: https://www.cpsc.gov/s3fs-public/Pediatric_Poisoning_Fatalities_Injuries_Report_2024_final.pdf
First call the Poisons Information Centre on 13 11 26
If you have already called for an ambulance and reported that a child has been poisoned, it is likely that the Triple 0 operator will have already connected you to the Poisons Information Centre.
If you haven’t already been connected to the Poisons Hotline, call them directly yourself on 13 11 26. Either way, they will work with you to tell you exactly what to do while you wait for the ambulance.
It’s most important that you identify, as best you can, exactly what the poison was that your child has swallowed. Is it medicine or illegal drugs? Is it a cleaning product? Is it something else?
If there is a remaining bottle or container, grab it and describe it to the Poisons Centre. They will then tell you exactly what to do. Different poisons react in the body in different ways so they may tell you to get the child to drink or eat something or they may say do nothing at all but keep them calm till the ambulance arrives.
The Poisons Information Centre knows how to treat literally thousands of different harmful substances, so they will be your best guide.
(We cannot give you specific advice here, because there are just too many different poisons to describe each different treatment.)
Avoid trying to induce vomiting
For a very long time, the first step in handling a case of accidental poisoning was to induce vomiting. It makes sense because your first natural instinct can be to try and get the poison out of the body.
But the reason why we don’t try to induce vomiting any more is simple. Research has shown that inducing vomiting doubles the chance of the poison burning the person’s throat because it is exposed to the poison a second time.
Also, trying to induce vomiting causes pressure from the stomach which then forces the poison to be absorbed into the body more quickly and in larger amounts than if it is just left in the stomach.
Now it is possible that a child who has swallowed some poison may naturally throw it up and you may not be able to stop that. It can be a natural reaction, but that’s different from you trying to force the child to vomit.
Additional first aid steps for a child who has swallowed poison
Again, we cannot stress it enough – stay calm. If you, the parent, guardian or responsible adult stays calm, the child is more likely to stay calm too. And this is what they need more than anything to aid their recovery – a calm adult.
After calling the Poisons Information Centre, here are some of the additional steps you should take:
Danger – make the area safe by removing the danger of the child or anyone else consuming any more of the poison (put it out of reach).
Response – check if your child can respond to you by asking them their name or squeezing their shoulders. If they can respond, make them comfortable and keep monitoring their response.
Send – if they cannot respond, immediately call an ambulance or send for other medical help if you haven't already done so. Also send for AED (defibrillator) if one is handy nearby.
Airway – check if their airways are clear, especially in the case of them having swallowed pills, drugs or other physical things that could block their throat. If there is a blockage clear it with your fingers.
Breathing – check if they are breathing. If not breathing and non-responsive, start immediate CPR and/or AED if available.
Keep in mind what we said at the beginning of this article. STAY CALM, and KEEP YOUR CHILD CALM. If they start panicking, it will only make the poison spread through their body faster.
First Aid Training is your best plan
If you have a small child or are pregnant, one of the best investments you can make as a parent, is to get yourself trained in First Aid. Not just to handle accidental poisonings, but also a myriad of other things that can happen to a small child.
A potential drowning. A fall or injury. A burn. The child choking on something. The list of potential risks to your child is fairly long.
If you are trained in First Aid, you will know exactly what to do and this confidence is what will keep you calm in an emergency. And that is the best thing you can do for your child, is to be a source of calm for them.
We have public First Aid training classes available on several days through the week so you are bound to find one on a day that suits you. We also offer blended training where you do most of the training online from home or work, at a time that suits you.
If you are in a new Mothers Group, why not get a group of you to do your training together. It can be a lot of fun and beneficial to you all.
Find out more at https://www.resultsfirstaid.com/courses
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