Poison Control

Well, I did something I never thought I would need to do.  I called Poison Control this evening. You see, Tyler MIGHT have ingested something she shouldn't have.  Now, before I go any further please note that I don't normally let my daughter play in the bathroom unsupervised.  

Tyler and I were visiting Shannon and her girls this afternoon.  I was holding Addy while Shan was in the kitchen.  Ava and Tyler were in the bathroom right off of the living room.  Ava was washing her hands and I had assumed Tyler was doing the same.  Now, looking back, I am not sure how she would have been doing the same since she can't reach the sink.  Anyway, Shan came into the living room and caught a glimpse of the girls.  Sure enough, Ava was washing her hands. Tyler, on the other hand, had the toilet brush holder in her hands and was getting ready to take a big swig of the liquid in the bottom.  Or she had just taken a sip?  Shannon ran over, with a mighty "NO" and grabbed the holder out of her hands.  Now, here is where it got interesting.  We weren't sure if she actually took a drink of the "stuff" in the holder.

Shannon scooped her up and washed her hands and mouth.  We then took turns trying to smell her breath.  No luck, we still couldn't be 100% sure that she did or did not drink the stuff.  We then inspected the holder to see if there had been any liquid along the rim.  We came to the conclusion that she more than likely did not drink any of the stuff.  To be extra careful, Shannon got out the toilet bowl cleaner and read the back of the bottle.  Thankfully, the Smith household is as green as we are when it comes to household cleaners.  They use Method toilet bowl cleaner which is labeled "NON-TOXIC" right on the front.  Well, when you turn it over, it states to call the Poison Control Center if any of the product is ingested.  Really?!?!?  Then why throw the label "NON-TOXIC" on it????  Prior to that little discovery, I wasn't all that worried.

Tyler and I headed home to make dinner and wind down for the evening.  I tried to explain to Ty what had happened.  He got this very panicked look on his face when the words "drink" and "toilet bowl cleaner" came out of my mouth.  I tried very hard to be calm but inside I had started to freak out.  I was on the phone with my sister in law when she suggested I might feel better if I called either Tyler's advice nurse or the PCC.  I got off the phone, grabbed the number off of the fridge and prepared myself to try and explain the situation.  Really, how many phone calls do they get from a mom who might have let her daughter drink toilet water with cleaner mixed in???  

The lady I spoke to was fantastic!  All the people who work at the call center are nurses.  She had me read off the ingredient list.  Believe it or not, if it is labeled "non-toxic", it is pretty safe. She was more concerned for the yucky water than the cleaner.  We need to watch Tyler for any signs of intestinal problems over the next 48 hours.  She listed all the symptoms and advised me to call our doctor if Tyler fell ill.  She said that more than likely she hadn't actually drank any of the water and that all is fine.  She then went on to tell me that people call all the time because their child has eaten 1.) their own poop, 2.) the dog/cat poop, 3.) anther family member's poop (I didn't even want to ask about the last one!!!)  She also told me about one mom who called them 5 times in a 24 hour period.  She had twin three year old little boys.  The nurse also made sure to tell me that nothing was reported to Child Services or Tyler's doctor. Really!?!?!  Thank goodness!!!  I was REALLY worried!!!  Do people really ask that question enough to warrant an unsolicited response???

So, that is our excitement for the day!  I have learned that I will be keeping a closer eye on what Tyler is doing while she is in the bathroom!  I've also learned to call Poison Control if I want to feel better about what my child has gotten into.  At least she isn't eating my poop, right?