| Poison
Prevention
WebMD
and TOPHEALTH
1. Buy
medicines and household products in child-resistant containers. Keep products in their
original packaging.
2. Store
all Medicines and household products in a locked closet or cabinet- including those in
child resistant containers.
3. Crawl
around your house, including inside closets, to inspect it from a child’s point of
view. Chances are you will discover a poisoning hazard you had not noticed before.
4. Keep
1-ounce bottle of syrup of ipecac handy, but use it only if poison control center
instructs you to induce vomiting.
5. Make
sure cosmetics and beauty products are out of children’s reach.
6. Secure
pesticides in a locked cabinet an out of children’s reach. According to a recent
government survey, nearly half of households with children under five years old has at
least one pesticide within easy reach.
7. Safely
discard any medication that has passed their expiration date.
8. Safely
discard medication or supplies where packaging has been damaged or shows signs of
tampering.
9. Never
use another family member’s prescription medication.
Any drug can be harmful. Read product information carefully and follow the recommended
dosage and schedule. |
|
Guide to Your
Child's Symptoms
Vomiting
In General:
In children, vomiting is a common response to a number of different events or stimuli,
including illness, ingestion of toxic substances, or emotional stress brought about by
pressure at school or tension at home. An isolated vomiting episode is not a cause for
concern. Recurrent vomiting, however, may be a sign that your child needs medical
attention, especially if there is also abdominal pain, fever, or headache. Forceful
vomiting in babies is quite different from the normal developmental phase of spitting up.
For the special problem of induced vomiting in adolescents, see Eating Disorders.
Call your pediatrician immediately if vomiting is accompanied by:
Swelling and sharp pain in the abdomen.
Blood or bile (green material) in the vomit.
Confusion, lethargy, or irritability.
Diarrhea for more than 12 hours.
Signs of dehydration such as dry lips and scant urine.
Warning
Occasional vomiting is not a cause for worry, but if your baby vomits after every
feeding in a 12-hour period, call your pediatrician.
Questions to consider
Does your toddler or older child who is vomiting also have diarrhea and mild fever?
| If answer is |
Yes |
| Possible cause is |
Gastroenteritis; food poisoning. |
| Action to take |
Withhold solid foods but give clear liquids
as soon as your child can keep them down. As symptoms improve, resume a normal diet. If
symptoms last longer than 12 hours, call your pediatrician for advice. |
Does your child have symptoms of an infection such as a sore throat, earache, or
burning on urination?
| If answer is |
Yes |
| Possible cause is |
Infection. |
| Action to take |
Seek your pediatrician's help for treatment
of the underlying infection. Vomiting will stop as symptoms improve. |
Does your child seem tense or upset? Does he have no other symptoms of illness?
| If answer is |
Yes |
| Possible cause is |
Stress, anxiety. |
| Action to take |
Let your child talk about what's bothering
him. If no cause is obvious and vomiting continues or becomes more frequent, consult your
pediatrician. |
Does your child feel nauseated and vomit when riding in cars, boats, or elevators?
| If answer is |
Yes |
| Possible cause is |
Motion sickness. |
| Action to take |
Ask your pediatrician how to prevent motion
sickness. |
Did the vomiting follow a fall or head injury? Is your child increasingly sleepy or
less responsive?
|
| If answer is |
Yes |
| Possible cause is |
Head injury. |
| Action to take |
Call your pediatrician immediately. |
Is your child irritable or drowsy? Has he complained of a headache? Does he have a
fever?
|
| If answer is |
Yes |
| Possible cause is |
Meningitis or another serious
disease of the nervous system. |
| Action to take |
Call your pediatrician
immediately. |
Feeding a vomiting child
Vomiting is common and uncomfortable. Fortunately, it's usually not serious and quickly
passes. While a child is vomiting, care should be taken to prevent dehydration due to
fluid loss, especially if she also has a fever or diarrhea. Before your child feels well
enough to eat again, she will probably be able to drink fluids. Encourage her to drink
frequently, even if she can manage only a few sips at a time.
Let your child choose the drinks she enjoys. For a toddler or preschooler, a commercial
rehydrating solution is suitable, while a school-age child may prefer a 50/50 blend of a
sports drink and water. Avoid drinks with a high sugar content and/or caffeine, which may
make the fluid loss worse.
If your child vomits after drinking, the best course is an hour or two with no food or
fluids-not even water. She may be able to take just spoonfuls of liquid or prefer to suck
on ice chips for a while. Call your pediatrician if the vomiting continues for more than 6
hours or the child has a stomachache and fever. Don't give any medications to stop
vomiting except as prescribed by your pediatrician.
When your child hasn't vomited for several hours and can keep fluids down, let her try
a small helping of any food she chooses from her usual diet. Good choices to begin with
might be toast, oatmeal, bananas, applesauce or other cooked fruits, or a soft-boiled egg.
Don't give milk, dairy products, and foods containing large amounts of insoluble
fiber-such as raw fruits and vegetables and bran cereals-until your child's stomach feels
settled. Get her back to a normal diet as soon as possible.
© 2002 - American Academy of Pediatrics |
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