Accidental Ingestion of Adult Medication

Over at The Nest, we are not immune to household incidents just because we teach all about how to deal with them!

On Saturday my 5 year old was thought to have possibly ingested a tablet of adult medication.

He was seen playing with the box and holding the tablet (both of which were immediately taken off him!) but was also seen putting the tablet back.

Later on, it became apparent that a tablet was missing.

We asked him calmly if he took the tablet or just put it in his mouth at all, and we made sure he knew he wouldn’t be in trouble if he told us exactly what happened.

He was adamant that he didn’t put it in his mouth but nonetheless, there was still a tablet missing.

It wasn’t clear exactly what happened so I had to assume the worst and take steps to find out what symptoms I should be looking for.

Luckily for me I had some helpful friends on speed dial, one an expert in toxicology and the other a paediatrician.

They told me what to watch for and how long I’d need to watch him for.

However I would tell anyone else in that situation to ring the Poisons Information Centre on • 13 11 26 •

I slept with him that night and he was fine. He probably didn’t ingest it but it put my mind at rest to be with him!

Being a mum completely overrides the rational thoughts of my inner nurse.

Moral of the story? That these things happen to ANYONE, even if your children are being watched and even if you are a children’s nurse and first aid professional! ????????‍♀️????????‍♀️