Holly Berries: A Beautiful Decoration But a Poisonous Snack
Christmas and Winter Holidays Poison Prevention
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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