The short answer
Store medicines and household chemicals up, away, and out of sight, in their original containers, and save Poison Help (1-800-222-1222 in the U.S.) in your phone now. If your child swallows something, call immediately, even if there are no symptoms, and do not induce vomiting.
Up, away, and out of sight
Toddlers explore by tasting, and most poisonings occur during routine moments: vitamins left on the counter, a handbag on the floor, cleaning products left out after use. The guidance is to return products to a high, closed location every time, including the one currently in use.
Keep products in their original containers. The label provides the information a poison specialist will ask for, and a cleaner transferred to a water bottle is easily mistaken for a drink. Pay particular attention to items that are not obviously hazardous: laundry detergent packets, mouthwash, hand sanitizer, nicotine pouches, and a visiting grandparent's pill organizer, which lacks a child-resistant cap. Button batteries and small magnets need special caution: if one may have been swallowed, go to the emergency room immediately, without waiting for symptoms.
Cannabis edibles require particular care
Reported cannabis edible exposures among children under six rose from about 200 in 2017 to more than 3,000 in 2021, almost all of them at home. These products often resemble gummies or chocolate, and in that study nearly a quarter of the children were hospitalized. Symptoms can take an hour or more to appear, so a child who seems well may not yet be out of danger, and young children can become severely drowsy or difficult to wake.
Store edibles as you would any medication: locked, out of sight, and in their original packaging. Before a playdate, it is reasonable to ask whether edibles are kept in the home, just as you might ask about a pool or a firearm.
Responding to an exposure, and what to teach
Save 1-800-222-1222 in every household phone and post it on the refrigerator. If you suspect your child has swallowed something, call right away, even without symptoms. If your child is difficult to wake, having a seizure, or struggling to breathe, call 911. Do not induce vomiting or use syrup of ipecac; that practice was abandoned years ago because it can cause additional harm.
Children need only a few rules: ask before tasting anything; medicine is never candy, however appealing it looks; take medicine only from a parent or caregiver; and nothing from the floor goes in the mouth. Reinforce this by never describing medicine as candy, even to encourage a reluctant child. Most important, tell your child that if they ever swallow something by mistake, they should tell you right away and will not be in trouble. Children often hide accidents out of fear, and hiding them costs valuable time.
While putting the groceries away
- "Is this a food or a not-food? How can you tell?"
- "What do we do before we taste something new?" Ask first.
- "If you eat something by mistake, what do you do?" Tell me. You will never be in trouble.
The advice to drop
"Make them throw up."
Inducing vomiting, including with syrup of ipecac, is no longer recommended and can cause further harm. Call 1-800-222-1222 instead; many exposures can be managed safely at home with a specialist's guidance.
Where this guidance comes from
- Poison Help (HRSA) — Poison Help line, 1-800-222-1222
- National Capital Poison Center — Button Battery Ingestion
- FDA — FDA Warns Consumers About the Accidental Ingestion by Children of Food Products Containing THC
- Minnesota Poison Control System — Cannabis, Marijuana, THC
- MUSC — Number of kids getting sick from cannabis edibles hits new high
Last reviewed October 2026 by the Enchantably team against the sources above. This is general guidance for parents, not medical, legal, or emergency advice. In an emergency, call your local emergency number.
