The holiday season is a time for celebration and happiness.
However, the combination of excited children and hurried parents may turn a safe home into a likely site for a poisoning. Research shows that the number of poisoning incidents involving children rises during the holiday season.
Changing routines and introducing holiday plants, decorations, guests and gifts into the home can set up a potentially dangerous situation. The Nebraska Regional Poison Center offers the following tips for preparing your home during the holiday season:
- Keep hazardous plants, decorations, medications and gifts out of the reach of small children or pets;
- Certain Christmas tree light cords contain warnings of lead toxicity on them. Older artificial Christmas trees may contain small amounts of lead. It is reasonable to wash your hands after handling these cords and trees and keep them out of the hands of children;
- Use caution when using bubble lights, angel hair, snow sprays and fireplace color crystals;
- Clean up immediately following all holiday parties so that alcohol and other potentially harmful items are not within reach of young children. Children often imitate adults and they will drink partially filled glasses regardless of the contents;
- Common calls to the poison center during the holiday season also include cigarettes, disc batteries, food poisoning, holiday plants and ingestion of guests’ medications by young children;
- Post the telephone number of the Nebraska Regional Poison Center and your family physician near the phone;
- If you suspect a poisoning has occurred, call the Nebraska Regional Poison Center or your physician before attempting any emergency treatment; and
- Remember, prevention is the best treatment for poisonings.
The Nebraska Regional Poison Center offers tips on holiday safety and poison prevention as a free community service. If you have questions or would like to set up an interview, contact the Nebraska Regional Poison Center by calling (800) 222-1222 or (402) 955-5555 in the Omaha metropolitan area.
The Nebraska Regional Poison Center is sponsored by The Nebraska Medical Center, Creighton University Medical Center and UNMC.