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"&amp;lt;p&amp;gt;When should you call poison control if your child is poisoned?&amp;lt;/p&amp;gt;&amp;lt;p&amp;gt;Many parents might think that is a silly question, since the answer seems obvious - you just call poison control, right?&amp;lt;/p&amp;gt;&amp;lt;p&amp;gt;But there are a lot of things that get in the way that make the question a lot more complicated and confuse parents so that in the heat of the moment, instead of remaining calm and simply calling poison control, they do other things that can delay their child from getting the proper treatment they need.&amp;lt;/p&amp;gt;&amp;lt;h3&amp;gt;What is a poison?&amp;lt;/h3&amp;gt;&amp;lt;p&amp;gt;Understanding what actually is a poison confuses a lot of parents, since many the definition too literally, thinking a poison is just something like rat poison or an insecticide. Instead, according to the American Association of Poison Control Centers, &amp;lt;em&amp;gt;&amp;lt;strong&amp;gt;a poison is &amp;amp;#39;anything someone eats, breathes, gets in the eyes, or on the skin, that can cause sickness or death if it gets into or on the body.&amp;lt;/strong&amp;gt;&amp;lt;/em&amp;gt;&amp;amp;#39;&amp;lt;/p&amp;gt;&amp;lt;p&amp;gt;So by this definition, some dangerous poisons would include poisonous plants, including some wild mushrooms, foxglove, pokeweed, holly berries, and pokeweed, and &amp;lt;a href=&amp;quot;https://www.verywell.com/household-poisons-1298713&amp;quot; data-component=&amp;quot;link&amp;quot; data-source=&amp;quot;inlineLink&amp;quot; data-type=&amp;quot;internalLink&amp;quot; data-ordinal=&amp;quot;1&amp;quot;&amp;gt;household poisons&amp;lt;/a&amp;gt;, such as mouthwash, nail glue remover, drain cleaners, oven cleaners, lamp oil, antifreeze, furniture polish, cough and cold medicines, iron, blood pressure medicines, &amp;lt;a href=&amp;quot;https://www.verywell.com/carbon-monoxide-detectors-2634187&amp;quot; data-component=&amp;quot;link&amp;quot; data-source=&amp;quot;inlineLink&amp;quot; data-type=&amp;quot;internalLink&amp;quot; data-ordinal=&amp;quot;2&amp;quot;&amp;gt;carbon monoxide&amp;lt;/a&amp;gt;, and lead paint.&amp;lt;/p&amp;gt;&amp;lt;h3&amp;gt;Poisoning and More&amp;lt;/h3&amp;gt;&amp;lt;p&amp;gt;In addition, poison control centers are staffed with experts who know how to handle &amp;lt;a href=&amp;quot;https://www.verywell.com/snake-bites-treatment-prevention-2632355&amp;quot; data-component=&amp;quot;link&amp;quot; data-source=&amp;quot;inlineLink&amp;quot; data-type=&amp;quot;internalLink&amp;quot; data-ordinal=&amp;quot;3&amp;quot;&amp;gt;snake bites&amp;lt;/a&amp;gt;, &amp;lt;a href=&amp;quot;https://www.verywell.com/spider-bites-p2-2634199&amp;quot; data-component=&amp;quot;link&amp;quot; data-source=&amp;quot;inlineLink&amp;quot; data-type=&amp;quot;internalLink&amp;quot; data-ordinal=&amp;quot;4&amp;quot;&amp;gt;spider bites&amp;lt;/a&amp;gt;, and insect stings that may be poisonous, button battery ingestions, and even &amp;lt;a href=&amp;quot;https://www.verywell.com/food-poisoning-food-poisoning-symptoms-2634360&amp;quot; data-component=&amp;quot;link&amp;quot; data-source=&amp;quot;inlineLink&amp;quot; data-type=&amp;quot;internalLink&amp;quot; data-ordinal=&amp;quot;5&amp;quot;&amp;gt;food poisoning&amp;lt;/a&amp;gt;.&amp;lt;/p&amp;gt;&amp;lt;h3&amp;gt;First Step with a Poisoning&amp;lt;/h3&amp;gt;&amp;lt;p&amp;gt;In most cases, if your child is poisoned, you should just call poison control right away using the toll free nationwide number:&amp;lt;/p&amp;gt;&amp;lt;blockquote&amp;gt;1-800-222-1222&amp;lt;/blockquote&amp;gt;&amp;lt;p&amp;gt;&amp;lt;em&amp;gt;&amp;lt;strong&amp;gt;You should not wait for your child to have symptoms&amp;lt;/strong&amp;gt;&amp;lt;/em&amp;gt;, &amp;lt;strong&amp;gt;&amp;lt;em&amp;gt;even if you aren&amp;amp;#39;t positive if your child actually swallowed any of the poison, or if you aren&amp;amp;#39;t sure if it really is poisonous.&amp;lt;/em&amp;gt;&amp;lt;/strong&amp;gt;&amp;lt;/p&amp;gt;&amp;lt;p&amp;gt;Don&amp;amp;#39;t call your pediatrician first to ask for advice on what to do. If your child had contact with something that could be poisonous, your best bet is to just call poison control.&amp;lt;/p&amp;gt;&amp;lt;p&amp;gt;In certain cases, like if your child is having seizures, is not breathing, or is unresponsive, then, of course, you should call 911 instead.&amp;lt;/p&amp;gt;&amp;lt;h3&amp;gt;First Aid Steps for Poisoning&amp;lt;/h3&amp;gt;&amp;lt;p&amp;gt;The American Association for Poison Control Centers also recommends the following first aid steps:&amp;lt;/p&amp;gt;&amp;lt;ul&amp;gt;&amp;lt;li&amp;gt; &amp;lt;em&amp;gt;&amp;lt;strong&amp;gt;Swallowed Poisons&amp;lt;/strong&amp;gt;&amp;lt;/em&amp;gt;&amp;lt;ul&amp;gt;&amp;lt;li&amp;gt;Don&amp;amp;#39;t give your child anything to eat or drink and don&amp;amp;#39;t give your child syrup of ipecac.&amp;lt;/li&amp;gt;&amp;lt;li&amp;gt;Call poison control.&amp;lt;/li&amp;gt;&amp;lt;/ul&amp;gt;&amp;lt;/li&amp;gt;&amp;lt;li&amp;gt; &amp;lt;em&amp;gt;&amp;lt;strong&amp;gt;Inhaled Poisons&amp;lt;/strong&amp;gt;&amp;lt;/em&amp;gt;&amp;lt;ul&amp;gt;&amp;lt;li&amp;gt;Get your child to fresh air.&amp;lt;/li&amp;gt;&amp;lt;li&amp;gt;Call poison control.&amp;lt;/li&amp;gt;&amp;lt;/ul&amp;gt;&amp;lt;/li&amp;gt;&amp;lt;li&amp;gt; &amp;lt;em&amp;gt;&amp;lt;strong&amp;gt;Poisons on the Skin&amp;lt;/strong&amp;gt;&amp;lt;/em&amp;gt;&amp;lt;ul&amp;gt;&amp;lt;li&amp;gt;Remove your child&amp;amp;#39;s contaminated clothing.&amp;lt;/li&amp;gt;&amp;lt;li&amp;gt;Rinse your child&amp;amp;#39;s skin with water for 15 to 20 minutes.&amp;lt;/li&amp;gt;&amp;lt;li&amp;gt;Call poison control (don&amp;amp;#39;t wait until you are done rinsing his skin though).&amp;lt;/li&amp;gt;&amp;lt;/ul&amp;gt;&amp;lt;/li&amp;gt;&amp;lt;li&amp;gt; &amp;lt;em&amp;gt;&amp;lt;strong&amp;gt;Poisons in the Eye&amp;lt;/strong&amp;gt;&amp;lt;/em&amp;gt;&amp;lt;ul&amp;gt;&amp;lt;li&amp;gt;Flush your child&amp;amp;#39;s eye with lukewarm water for 15 to 20 minutes using running water or a large cup held 2 to 4 inches from his eye.&amp;lt;/li&amp;gt;&amp;lt;li&amp;gt;Do not force his eye open.&amp;lt;/li&amp;gt;&amp;lt;li&amp;gt;Call poison control (again, don&amp;amp;#39;t wait until you are done rinsing his eye out unless you have no other choice).&amp;lt;/li&amp;gt;&amp;lt;/ul&amp;gt;&amp;lt;/li&amp;gt;&amp;lt;/ul&amp;gt;&amp;lt;h3&amp;gt;Calling Poison Control&amp;lt;/h3&amp;gt;&amp;lt;p&amp;gt;When calling poison control, it can be helpful to have the name of the product or medicine that you suspect that your child was exposed to, how they were exposed (did they swallow it, inhale it or just get it on their skin, etc.), how much were they exposed to, and the current symptoms he is having.&amp;lt;/p&amp;gt;&amp;lt;p&amp;gt;You will likely also be asked for your child&amp;amp;#39;s age and weight, whether or not he has any medical problems, and a callback number, so have this information handy.&amp;lt;/p&amp;gt;&amp;lt;h3&amp;gt;Most Dangerous Poisonings&amp;lt;/h3&amp;gt;&amp;lt;p&amp;gt;Certainly, some poisonings are more dangerous than others, but the most important thing to keep in mind is that many substances can be dangerous, surprisingly so. Always call poison control - even if you are pretty certain that something is not poisonous. That said, some of the most serious poisonings involve cleaning supplies, lighter fluid, windshield washer fluid, antifreeze, vitamins, and medications.&amp;lt;/p&amp;gt;&amp;lt;h3&amp;gt;Poison Control and Prevention Facts&amp;lt;/h3&amp;gt;&amp;lt;p&amp;gt;Other facts about poison control and prevention include that:&amp;lt;/p&amp;gt;&amp;lt;ul&amp;gt;&amp;lt;li&amp;gt;There is no charge for calling poison control and they are available 24 hours a day, 7 days a week, 365 days a year.&amp;lt;/li&amp;gt;&amp;lt;li&amp;gt;National Poison Prevention Week is observed during the third week of March each year.&amp;lt;/li&amp;gt;&amp;lt;li&amp;gt;&amp;amp;#39;Childproof&amp;amp;#39; caps on medicines are not really childproof. They are simply child resistant and most kids will eventually get them opened, so you should still keep them out of reach and be sure to regularly clean out your medicine cabinet to reduce the number of medicines that you have in your home.&amp;lt;/li&amp;gt;&amp;lt;li&amp;gt;According to the Consumer Product Safety Commission, about &amp;amp;#39;30 children younger than 5 years old who die from unintentional poisonings each year&amp;amp;#39; and &amp;amp;#39;about 85,000 young children visited U.S. hospital emergency rooms due to unintentional poisonings in 2004.&amp;amp;#39; In 2014 there was a poisoning reported every 15 seconds, with the peak incidence occurring in one- and two-year-olds.&amp;lt;/li&amp;gt;&amp;lt;/ul&amp;gt;&amp;lt;p&amp;gt;Most importantly, keep in mind that although poison control is always available to help if your child is poisoned, it is much better to try and prevent poisonings by keeping your home well childproofed. Check out these tips to make sure you have done &amp;lt;a href=&amp;quot;https://www.verywell.com/childproofing-your-home-2634228&amp;quot; data-component=&amp;quot;link&amp;quot; data-source=&amp;quot;inlineLink&amp;quot; data-type=&amp;quot;internalLink&amp;quot; data-ordinal=&amp;quot;6&amp;quot;&amp;gt;everything possible to childproof your home&amp;lt;/a&amp;gt;.&amp;lt;/p&amp;gt;&amp;lt;p&amp;gt;&amp;lt;sub&amp;gt;Sources&amp;lt;/sub&amp;gt;&amp;lt;/p&amp;gt;&amp;lt;p&amp;gt;&amp;lt;sub&amp;gt;American Association of Poison Control Centers. Alerts. http://www.aapcc.org/&amp;lt;/sub&amp;gt;&amp;lt;/p&amp;gt;&amp;lt;p&amp;gt;&amp;lt;sub&amp;gt;Poison Control. Poison Statistics 2014. http://www.poison.org/poison-statistics-national&amp;lt;/sub&amp;gt;&amp;lt;/p&amp;gt;&amp;lt;p&amp;gt;&amp;lt;sub&amp;gt;Poison Treatment in the Home. &amp;lt;em&amp;gt;Pediatrics&amp;lt;/em&amp;gt;. 2003. 112(5).&amp;lt;/sub&amp;gt;&amp;lt;/p&amp;gt;"^^<http://www.w3.org/2001/XMLSchema#string>
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