A new study on accidental baby poisoning shows how susceptible infants are to poisoning. The research also involved information on the different medication and non-medication errors that cause the infants' accidental poisoning.
The most common medication error that causes accidental poisoning for infants is acetaminophen, which is a drug used to treat fever and mild to moderate pain, according to the study reported by WebMD News and HealthDay.
The second most common medication error that causes accidental baby poisonings is the use of H2-blockers, a treatment for acid reflux. Gastrointestinal medications, cough and cold drugs, antibiotics and ibuprofen such as Motrin and Advil are also some of the most common medication errors that can cause accidental poisoning among infants.
Mistakes related to drug dosage make up 47 percent of the medication errors that cause baby poisoning while 43 percent involved wrong frequency and schedule of giving medications to a baby. The study also reveals that the most common non-medication causes of accidental baby poisoning are diaper care products, products for treating rashes, plants, creams, lotions and make-up.
"I was surprised with a large number of exposures even in this young age group," said lead author Dr. A. Min Kang from Banner-University Medical Center Phoenix in Arizona as reported by WebMD. "Pediatricians typically do not begin poison prevention education until about 6 months of age, since the traditional hazard we think about is the exploratory ingestion -- that is when kids begin to explore their environment and get into things they are not supposed to."
Aside from making sure to always give the right dosage, frequency and schedule of medications to a baby, BabyCentre says that it is also very important to be "extremely cautious about what you leave lying around the house" and to have an inventory of all the items around that can potentially harm the baby and make sure that they are always out of reach for babies and other children.
