February 2024 Young Children Newsletter

I am writing this article  with the hope  that Kiwanians will pass this information along to educate the public.

Educate the Community About Poisons

The same impulse that leads a child to swallow a toy may impel him to drink or eat a poisonous substance. Clubs can help parents through an awareness campaign that reminds them to keep paints, cleaning compounds, beauty aids and even house plants out of the reach of children. Educational pamphlets on poisons, designed for distribution in the community, are available from the National Safety Council at 800-621-7619. 

The Centers for Disease Control has published the following information (the contact information is, of course, directed to the United States): 

Keep Young Children Safe from Poisoning 

Be Prepared

• Put the poison help number, 1-800-222-1222, on or near every home telephone and save it on your cell phone. The line is open 24 hours a day, 7 days a week.

Be Smart about Storage

• Store all medicines and household products up and away and out of sight in a cabinet where a child cannot reach them.
• When you are taking or giving medicines or are using household products:
  • Do not put your next dose on the counter or table where children can reach them—it only takes seconds for a child to get them.
  • If you have to do something else while taking medicine, such as answer the phone, take any young children with you.
  • Secure the child safety cap completely every time you use a medicine.
  • After using them, do not leave medicines or household products out. As soon as you are done with them, put them away and out of sight in a cabinet where a child cannot reach them.
  • Be aware of any legal or illegal drugs that guests may bring into your home. Ask guests to store drugs where children cannot find them. Children can easily get into pillboxes, purses, backpacks, or coat pockets.

Proper Disposal

For more information on proper disposal, please see the FDA’s web site, Disposal of Unused Medicines: What You Should Know.

Other Tips

• Do not call medicine “candy.”
• Identify poisonous plants in your house and yard and place them out of reach of children or remove them.

What To Do If A Poisoning Occurs

• Remain calm.
• Call 911 if you have a poison emergency and the victim has collapsed or is not breathing. If the victim is awake and alert, dial 1-800-222-1222. Try to have this information ready:
  • the victim’s age and weight
  • the container or bottle of the poison if available
  • the time of the poison exposure the address where the poisoning occurred 
• Stay on the phone and follow the instructions from the emergency operator or poison control center.

Available from Kiwanis Pediatric Trauma Institute (KPTI) 250 copies per Club per year may be ordered online at www.kpti.org  under Community Services tab.

 First Aid/CPR Chart for Parents from the American Academy of Pediatrics: 

The First AID/CPR Chart from the American Academy of Pediatrics is a large 11″ x 17″ wall chart includes first aid guidance on one side – choking/CPR guidance on the other. Topics include burns, scalds, fractures, sprains, head injuries, poisons, skin wounds, stings and bites, and infants/child CPR. For Kiwanis clubs to be distributed to pediatrician’s offices, parenting groups and also can be handed out at club events for the public.

Ava Adams, District Chair 
Young Children  Committee 
Scarborough Maine Kiwanis Club
New England and Bermuda District of Kiwanis
email: [email protected]