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Chemical safety is one of the first steps you can take when baby proofing your home. When you are beginning the process of making your home safe for your baby, it’s important to know the details about all your household chemical products (even your cosmetics!) and how they can affect your children.
 Simple bleaches, ammonias, and even paint thinners (see table below for a list of common household chemical products) are the leading chemical products that cause injuries and deaths in children under 5 years old. Nearly 1 million children accidentally ingest household chemical products or medicines each year. Luckily the majority of children survive the poisoning, but the important thing to remember is that this is preventable.
Follow these guidelines below to ensure the best in chemical home safety.
| |  | Manufacturers are required to label chemical products with one of these 3 signal words:- Danger: Extremely flammable, corrosive or highly toxic. If swallowed, a teaspoon can be fatal to an adult.
- Warning: Less than "Danger", but if swallowed, a teaspoon to an ounce can prove fatal to an adult.
- Caution:If swallowed, an ounce to more than a pint is fatal to an adult.
| - Do not mix chemicals unless they are designed to be mixed together.
This is an important step to remember in terms of chemical safety. Mixing or combining household chemical products can produce toxic or deadly fumes. It’s extremely dangerous to mix chemicals without knowing exactly what you are doing. Never mix: - Bleach with Toilet bowl cleaners (acid)
- Bleach with vinegar
- Bleach with ammonia
- Different brands of the same product
- High Alkaline products with high acidic products
- Disinfectants and detergents
| - Keep all chemicals in their original container.
This is an important chemical safety step. Don’t empty the product into your own containers, especially anything that could be used to hold water or any other drink. The original containers have the instructions and safety information right on the bottle.
|  |  | - Make sure the child-resistant caps are in place and screwed on properly.
Also, even if you are using the product, but have to walk out of the room for a second, make sure that top is on tightly.
It’s in that moment in time when your child can get a hold of the product and hurt himself.
| |  |  | - Know all the information about bug bombs and other pesticides including when it is safe to use them and their possible effects if inhaled.
| - Consider using only organic, all natural detergents.
Use organic household cleaners and detergents to wash your baby’s clothes, sheets, and bottles.
Also, use only DEET free lotions and bug repellents on your baby. DEET is a chemical used in many products including outdoor repellents.
With prolonged, heavy exposure to DEET products, you can begin to experience memory loss, shortness of breath, headaches, weakness and joint or muscle pain.
| - Keep all medicines, drugs, alcohol, first aid supplies, and cosmetics out of reach.
Not only are alcohol and medicines a part of chemical safety, but vitamins and other supplements are as well.
Keep these things not only out of reach, but out of sight. Your baby will be curious if he sees them and will eventually get to them.
|  | Cosmetics Safety Tips: - Keep nail polish, nail polish removers, diaper creams, mouthwash, perfumes, and lotions out of your baby’s reach.
Keep these things hidden and locked away. Some cosmetics can be very dangerous if your child swallows them.
- Keep all talcum powders, face powder, and cornstarch away from your baby’s face and out of her reach.
Make sure your baby doesn’t inhale any of these powders. It can cause breathing problems.
- Be careful how long you use bubble baths or bath oils on your baby.
If you overuse and a rash, itching, or redness occurs, stop using the product and go to the doctor. The use and/or over-use of some bath products can cause the skin irritation mentioned above and/or urinary tract infections.
- Use products that are age appropriate for your child in case they get into your things.
Things like certain cosmetics, lotions, hair dyes, hair waxes, or teeth whiteners are not safe for children. Adult use only.
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- Keep the number for your local poison control center near the phone.
If you can, it’s great to have the numbers for poison control, the fire department, 911 or your local police department programmed into your home and cell phones. If you don’t have the your local poison control’s number, call 1-800-222-1222 and they can direct you to your local poison control center.
- Teach your children what the hazard signs mean on your chemical bottles.
Teach them about chemical safety and what POISON, DANGER, WARNING and CAUTION mean.
Show them danger symbols on products so they know to never touch those items.
- Avoid chemical contact with eyes, nose, mouth and skin.
Click here for more information on what to do if your child has been poisoned or come in contact with poison.
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Common Household Chemical Products
Cleaning Products
- Oven cleaners
- Drain cleaners
- Wood and metal cleaners and polishes
- Toilet cleaners
- Tub, tile, shower cleaners
- Bleach (laundry)
- Pool chemicals
| Indoor Pesticides
- Ant sprays and baits
- Cockroach sprays and baits
- Flea repellents and shampoos
- Bug sprays
- Houseplant insecticides
- Moth repellents
- Mouse and rat poisons and baits
| Automotive Products
- Motor oil
- Fuel additives
- Carburetor and fuel injection cleaners
- Air conditioning refrigerants
- Starter fluids
- Automotive batteries
- Transmission and brake fluid
- Antifreeze
| Workshop/Painting Supplies
- Adhesives and glues
- Furniture strippers
- Oil or enamel based paint
- Stains and finishes
- Paint thinners and turpentine
- Paint strippers and removers
- Photographic chemicals
- Fixatives and other solvents
| Lawn and Garden Products
- Herbicides
- Insecticides
- Fungicides/wood preservatives
| Miscellaneous
- Batteries
- Mercury thermostats or thermometers
- Fluorescent light bulbs
- Driveway sealer
| Flammable products
- Propane tanks and other compressed gas cylinders
- Kerosene
- Home heating oil
| Other Flammable Products
- Diesel fuel
- Gas/oil mix
- Lighter fluid
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