All too often we read of the tragic outcome of a curious child who was accidentally poisoned by common household products or medications. Adults can read warning labels and know that a product is hazardous. Children have no idea what these labels mean and therefore can't tell what is harmful and what is not. Even teaching a child to stay away from dangerous areas is not enough. A child could still ingest cleaner left on a counter, eat an aspirin from mom's purse or drink gasoline or antifreeze out of bright containers in the garage. Therefore, it's up to each of us to take simple precautionary measures to ensure a child's safety.

Basic Poison Prevention Tips

• Common household items like cleaning products, medicine, make-up and plants account for most home poisonings .
• Be prepared. Many accidental poisonings can be treated safely in the home, after getting medical advice first.
• Put the California Poison Control Center phone number 1-800-876-4766 by the phone.
• Buy Syrup of Ipecac. Ipecac is a treatment for some types of poisoning and induces vomiting. Keep it in you home. Never give a child Ipecac Syrup or anything else without calling the Poison Control Center or doctor first!

If You Suspect Poisoning:

1. Stay calm. Keep the child calm.
2. Look in the child's mouth. Remove any remaining pills, make-up, pieces of plants, etc.
3. Take the child and the poison to the phone. Call the California Poison Control Center (1-800-876-4766) or your doctor. Be prepared to give your child's age, weight, product ingested and amount of poison ingested.
4. Follow the directions exactly as they are given to you by the Poison Control Center. Good intentions may do more harm than good.

Some helpful tips to remember about medications:

• Never refer to medicine as candy.
• Keep all medicines out of children's reach.
• Use medicine with child-resistant packaging.
• Store medicine in its original container, never in cups or soft-drink bottles.

Remember: Children act fast. So do poisons.