Almost 70,000 children under 5 go to the ER every year for poisonings — and I promise you, it's almost never what parents expect.
It’s not a stranger. It’s not a freak accident. It’s the pill bottle left on the counter for five minutes. The birthday card with a button battery. A relative’s purse on the floor. These are the moments I see in the ER, over and over — from parents who are, by every measure, careful and loving AND vigilant. So let’s talk about 3 risks likely hiding in your home right noIw.
Button Batteries
A colleague of mine once told me: “There’s always one child in the hospital who is a button battery patient.” These tiny discs — found in remote controls, key fobs, even musical birthday cards — are a surgical emergency if swallowed. Here’s what makes them so dangerous: the battery leaks acid into the body, and that corrosion continues even AFTER the battery is removed, sometimes perforating the esophagus or aorta. Parents often don’t realize their child swallowed one until days later, when vomiting or poor eating starts. If you even think your child swallowed one, go to the ER immediately. Do not wait. If your child is older than 12 months, give them 2 tsp of honey every 10 minutes on your way — but do NOT delay getting there. (Any questions? Call Poison Control on the way.)
One more thing I teach in my course: items with button batteries should have a double-closure — a snap AND a screw. If they don’t? Wrap the battery compartment with duct tape. That one little step can make all the difference.
Small Magnets
Swallowing one is dangerous. Swallowing two or more is a surgical emergency — they attract each other through tissue, pinching and destroying whatever’s between them. It’s not unusual for parents to come in saying “they found it and put it in their mouth before I could even react.” If that happens, an x-ray will tell us if there are two or more — and if there are, they have to come out.
Medications — Including Ones You'd Never Suspect
Here’s something we talk about in medicine that most parents don’t know: there are medications so potent that a single adult dose can be lethal to a small child. Narcotic pain medications are the #1 cause of childhood poisoning deaths — and that number is rising. But the list also includes blood pressure medications, anti-seizure drugs, diabetes medications — and yes, melatonin (childhood ingestions increased 530% between 2012 and 2021) and cannabis edibles (a 1,375% increase in just four years).
And don’t forget medicated patches — even used ones. I know. Gross. But even a used patch can have enough medication left on it that if a child puts it on their skin or licks it (kids love stickers — I don’t make the rules), it can be toxic. When you remove a patch, fold it so the adhesive sticks to itself, wrap it in a tissue, and toss it in a lidded trash can.
The pattern I see in the ER? A parent who is normally SO vigilant — they just left it out just this once. So the rule I teach is triple-layer protection: store everything up high, out of sight, and locked. The moment you take it out, use it and put it back. No exceptions.
And save this number in your phone right now: Poison Control, 1-800-222-1222 or at https://triage.webpoisoncontrol.org/.  Available 24/7 — they are incredible and can help you figure out exactly what to do, fast.
Want a system that actually makes all of this easier — not just a longer list of scary things to avoid?
That’s why one of the first principles I teach in my Babyproofing & Child Safety Course is Remove, Relocate, and Co-locate — because the goal isn’t to lock every single cabinet in your house and lose your mind every time you need a spoon. It’s about reducing how much you have to babyproof in the first place:
- Remove — some things you simply can’t sufficiently babyproof, and some dangerous products you don’t even really need anymore. Get rid of them. If it’s not in the house, you don’t have to babyproof it.
- Relocate — for dangerous items you’re keeping, move them out of the high-traffic areas where they’re accessed constantly — and therefore most likely to be left out.
- Co-locate — group the risky-but-necessary items together in one locked space, rather than scattering them across every cabinet and giving yourself a hundred opportunities to forget to lock one back up.
For the full framework — plus room-by-room guidance on exactly how to do this — check out the No Panic Parenting: Babyproofing & Child Safety Course. Use code DRDARRIA for 20% off.
All my best,
- Dr. Darria
