The post below is sponsored and I have been compensated for my time. Story and opinions are mine.
As a mom to little ones, I try my best to constantly be aware of my surroundings. With three curious kids, it seems there is always ONE trying to get into something or go places they shouldn’t.
A few weeks ago, I had a major scare. I had to have a root canal done and had been popping Tylenol and ibuprofen like candy so I could function leading up to the procedure. {Tooth pain is awful you guys!}
One morning, I had a 10 minute window where the kids were happy, so I decided to hop in the shower. I try to avoid doing this while my minions are awake, but sometimes it happens if I oversleep.
Anyway, I got out of the shower only to find an entire bottle of pills on the ground. My guess is that I did not screw on the cap tight enough and my little man knocked it off the counter, letting the cap fly off. There it was: Three pills with all the coating sucked off. Immediate heart attack.
OH NO. MY BABY ATE A BUNCH OF IBUPROFEN.
Thankfully, I had just opened the bottle the day before and knew exactly how many I had taken, so I quickly swept Miles’ mouth and pulled one out and continued by counting every pill in the container.
The image I sent my husband, feeling like a guilty mom. There even was fingerprint evidence all over from my toddler!
I took a deep breath and remained calm as I counted each pill. By some miracle, he had only managed to suck the coating off the three pills – not actually ingest — a single pill. Boy, was I relieved!
Moral of the story? Kids are quick, which makes it SO important to be aware of where you place household dangers. Also, be alert of items that may look like candy because they will appeal to little ones.
When I got an email about keeping kids safe from household dangers, I knew I had to share my story, even though I honestly feel awful for not thinking enough about a simple task like screwing a cap on tighter. Fortunately, I was one of the lucky ones.
Not every parent is as lucky.
Besides the bathroom, another place full of danger is the laundry room. The journal Pediatrics has published a study of laundry detergent pods, finding that about one child is poisoned every hour. It is the first comprehensive study of data from the National Poison Data System. From 2012-2013, about 17,230 children under the age of 6 were injured by laundry detergent pods, 700 children were seriously sickened, and at least one child died.
I LOVE TidePods, so I always ensure they are up very high in a cabinet where the kids can’t reach them.
The problem with “pods” is that they contain a highly-concentrated formula with a higher amount of surfactant compared to regular detergent. These ingredients are more likely to cause serious side effects in children. Make sure to keep them up high!
Even though my situation ended up perfectly fine, you can betcha I am trying to pay more attention to household dangers in our home, especially with my toddler.
Have you ever had something scary happen like this? How did you deal? Let me know in the comments!
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Dianna says
I can imagine how your heart sank when you saw those pills. So glad your story had a happy ending! Hope you’re all recovered from the dental experience too!
Mrs. Weber says
Thanks so much, Dianna! Trying my best to keep the dangers up high! Now, if only I could keep my guy out of the toilet 😉
And thanks for the dental well wishes — I am happy it’s over and my tooth can be happy again!
Ashleigh @Dash Of Evans says
Oh my gosh, I would have freaked out! I will admit, I should have my house safer. Now that my kids aren’t super tiny, I forget how they are still curious kids! I know Gabby would think something like Tide Pods were candy. Thanks for the info, lady!
Mrs. Weber says
Oh yes, my bigger kids can be just as bad! They play with everything they find and are totally random. I can see them thinking they are candy, too!
Shannon says
I had a scare when my middle was around 1. We were daily putting wart medicine on a wart on my oldest thumb. I went to the bathroom and came back and the younger daughter has the bottle of wart medicine in her mouth. Took it from her was totally panicked and called poison control. They were able to calm me and tell me what to do but definitely have been more cautious since then.
Mrs. Weber says
Scary stuff, Shannon! They definitely have a way of keeping us on our toes, huh?! Glad everything ended well!