Toddlers: Risks and tips

Prevention Tips

Be prepared.
- Save your poison center's number: 1-800-222-1222 (US only).
- Save the webPOISONCONTROL online tool as a browser favorite.
Install a carbon monoxide alarm in every sleeping area of your home.
Poison proof every home where your child spends time.
- Lock household products and medicines out of your child’s reach.
- Use child-resistant packaging. Replace caps securely.
- Store household products in a different place from food and medicine.
- Keep purses out of your child's reach.
Use medicines safely.
- Read the label before taking or giving medicine. Follow instructions exactly.
- Use the correct dosing syringe or cup, NOT a household spoon.
- Ask your child’s pediatrician before giving any herbal medicine or supplement.
- Read this report about medicine and child safety from Safe Kids Worldwide
These especially hazardous household products must always be kept out of a child's reach. Buy small quantities only. Discard unneeded extras safely.
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. Why? Batteries lodged in the esophagus can burn a hole in just 2 hours, causing death or damage that will require feeding tubes, breathing tubes, and extensive surgical repair.

Safe Kids produced an interactive graphic to show you some issues parents may miss when trying to make their house safer for young children. Check it out!

Adults Teens Seniors Preteens Elementary Toddlers Pesticides and repellents Food and drink
Paraquat: A highly toxic herbicide
Paraquat is an herbicide used for weed control. Paraquat solution is corrosive even at low concentrations, so getting it on the skin, getting it in the eyes, or swallowing it causes burns. When ingested, it is taken up by the lungs resulting in cell death and scarring of the lungs. It causes kidney failure, liver injury, and heart damage. The toxic and lethal doses are low and there is no antidote. There is evidence that paraquat increases Parkinson’s disease risk.
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Elementary Preteens Seniors Adults Teens Infants Toddlers Food and drink Toys, crafts, and jewelry
Raw flour: Don’t lick the spoon
Eating raw flour is not advisable since it can cause food poisoning from bacteria such as E. coli and Salmonella. Homemade play dough is not safe for children since it contains raw flour. Symptoms include vomiting, diarrhea (sometimes bloody), abdominal cramps, fever, and headache. Treatment may include oral or intravenous fluids, depending on severity.
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Elementary Preteens Seniors Adults Teens Toddlers Food and drink
Are pear, plum, and prune seeds toxic?
Pear, prune, and plum seeds contain amygdalin, a cyanogenic glycoside that the body metabolizes into cyanide. Cyanide deprives cells of oxygen and is a lethal poison. Symptoms following exposure may be delayed. Swallowing the seeds from 1 pear core, or 1 or 2 whole plum or prune seeds, is unlikely to cause harm. Chewing or crushing seeds, or swallowing several at once, raises the risk of cyanide poisoning.
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Elementary Preteens Seniors Adults Toddlers Teens Infants Food and drink
Peanut allergies: What you need to know
Peanut allergy is an immune response to peanut proteins. It usually lasts a lifetime. Symptoms range from skin rashes and wheezing to tingling of the mouth and throat, throat tightness, and lip swelling. Life-threatening effects include anaphylaxis and respiratory distress. Avoid peanuts and carry an epinephrine autoinjector. Giving peanuts at an early age decreases the risk of peanut allergy.
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Seniors Preteens Elementary Teens Adults Toddlers Infants Food and drink Bites and stings
Red meat allergy: Alpha-gal syndrome
Alpha-gal syndrome is an allergic reaction to a sugar found in mammals. It is transmitted by the lone star tick bite. Onset is 6 hours after ingesting red meat and other alpha-gal substances. Symptoms include hives, vomiting, wheezing, and anaphylaxis. Treatment is avoiding meat and other alpha-gal substances. Reactions are treated with antihistamines and epinephrine auto-injectors.
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Elementary Preteens Seniors Adults Teens Toddlers Topicals Cosmetics and personal care products Indoor hazards Homeopathic products Plastic containers and BPA Toys, crafts, and jewelry Food and drink
How harmful are endocrine-disrupting chemicals?
Endocrine-disrupting chemicals (EDCs) interfere with endocrine systems by antagonizing or mimicking hormones in the body. There are over 1,000 EDCs. EDCs are found in food, drinking water, air, the environment, cosmetics, and personal care products. Most are manmade, but some are naturally occurring. Research has found links between EDCs and harmful health effects.
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Elementary Preteens Seniors Teens Adults Toddlers Infants Pregnant and nursing
National Poison Prevention Week
National Poison Prevention Week was March 15–21, 2026. The commemorative week was established in 1961 to promote public awareness about how to prevent and respond to poison incidents. You can prevent most unintentional poisonings, but when you need it, expert help is just a click or call away.
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Adults Seniors Preteens Elementary Teens Toddlers Food and drink
Campylobacter food poisoning: Don’t risk it
Campylobacter is 1 of the most common causes of bacterial diarrhea. The illness is campylobacteriosis. Symptoms include diarrhea, fever, abdominal cramps, and pain. Campylobacter is found on raw vegetables, dairy products, poultry, and meat. It is also in the stool of contaminated people and animals. Treatment is mostly supportive; stay hydrated.
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Elementary Preteens Seniors Adults Teens Toddlers Plants
Poison ivy: Diagnosis, treatment, and when to seek help
Poison ivy can cause a rash if someone touches it, which is caused by oils in the plant. The rash can be severe enough to blister and itch for days or weeks. Most cases can be managed at home. Severe cases require medical attention. If these plants are burned, inhaling the smoke can cause severe breathing problems.
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Seniors Adults Toddlers Teens Pregnant and nursing Food and drink
Kombucha tea: Health tonic or dangerous?
Kombucha tea is a slightly effervescent, slightly alcoholic liquid for which many health claims are made. Home-brewed kombucha tea has been associated with several adverse health events. There are no scientific studies to support the many health claims made for kombucha tea, though it has a long history of use.
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