PREVENT PREVENT PREVENT

■ Always store potential poisons out of sight and reach of children, like in a locked cupboard or in a wire cage with a padlock, high up where children can’t reach. Check all rooms – kitchen, bedroom, bathroom, garden shed – for potential poisonous substances. These would include anything, from household detergents and medications to cosmetics and mercury batteries as well as vitamins rich in iron, lead-based paint, kerosene, lighter fluid, weed killer and insecticides.

■ Always put medicines away immediately after use. Be careful with heart and blood pressure medications, antidepressants, sleeping pills, diabetes medications, pain medication and timerelease medications, especially the ones you take regularly, as the routine of it all makes it easy for you to forget and leave them lying around. Vitamins also need to be locked away.

■ Remember that childproof containers are not 100 percent childproof.

■ Never refer to medicines as sweets. It makes them more attractive to a child. ■ Avoid taking medicines in front of children. They love to imitate adults, especially their parents.

■ Do not share medicines.

■ Do not store medicines in handbags. ■ Dispose of unnecessary medicines. Unused medicines should be returned to the local clinic or pharmacy and must not be thrown away in the dustbin where children may find them.

■ Be especially careful when visiting other homes, as medicines may not be stored as safely as in your home.

■ Buy pesticides from shops and in proper packaging with all the warning labels. Always wear gloves when using pesticides.

■ Always leave chemicals and detergents in their original containers; don’t transfer them to cooldrink bottles. ■ Keep loose batteries and batterycontrolled devices away from children, and place a piece of sticky tape over the battery case.

■ Teach your children about the dangers of eating anything from the garden.

■ Remove poisonous plants from your home. Never eat fruits, berries or mushrooms in the wild or your garden unless you are sure what they are.

■ Do not leave bug or rat poisons on the floor.

■ Make sure alcohol is locked away, and don’t leave cigarettes hanging around either. A 1-year-old can easily eat the tobacco, which can be very dangerous to their health.

■ Always keep kitchen surfaces clean and wash your hands in hot soapy water. You should also do this when you move from handling raw to cooked foods.

■ Remember, colourful containers attract the curious minds of children, so take care to keep them out of sight and reach. Never use familiar containers such as cooldrink bottles to store toxic substances.

■ Keep poisons and food separate. Never use food containers to store poisonous substances.

■ Also keep mouthwash, nail polish, hair remover and even baby oil where your child can’t reach them.

■ Arts and craft materials are associated with fun, but ingesting glue or glitter or paint certainly isn’t. So keep a close eye on your child during the activity, and pack everything safely away once the fun is done.