Blessing #192 - Two Favors

If you are friends with me on facebook, you know that we had a scary weekend.  Collin tried to eat a Tide Laundry pod, and ended up in the ICU on a ventilator. 

Writing really helps me process through things so I will probably write several posts about this (I apologize ahead of time, but writing helps me work through my feelings.)

Before I tell the story or say anything about the accident, I just wanted ask you two favors in this post.

First favor, if you have children DO NOT have the Tide Laundry Pods in your house.  I just switched over to the pods a month ago, and I wish...I WISH I had heard the warnings of how dangerous the are to children.

Maybe you are thinking, I should have realized how much the pods looked like candy, and known not to have it in my house.  You are probably right.  Maybe you are thinking that I should have had them up high and out of his reach.  You are definitely right.

I have no trouble saying that I made a mistake.  Normally, I am very cautious with medicines and cleaners.  Just last month, I bought new medicine containers and reorganized my cabinet to make it more safe for Collin.  I keep all my cleaners on a high shelf in my pantry and not under my sink.   However, the one thing I kept within his reach was the laundry supplies.  They stayed in a drawer in an organizer in between my washer and dryer.

Rather than judging me for my mistake, please learn from what happened to me.  Throw the pods out of your house.  Don't even bother putting them on a high shelf. Just throw them out.

Collin does not put things in his mouth.  He's just not mischievous like that....Oh, he's mischievous in other ways, but not like that.

I didn't see it before the accident, but look at these pods.

 

They look just like a gummy candy.  Look at the container they come in. 

 

The container has a flip lid kind of like the containers in my lunch station.

I really belief if a child got a hold of laundry detergent, they would realize it tasted bad and stop eating it.  I think Collin bit plastic gel exterior of the pod and it exploded in his mouth.  One day, I squeezed one as I threw it in the washing machine, and it popped and shot all over my face. I belief Collin bit it and it popped, and he really couldn't help ingesting the detergent.

Also, the detergent in the pods is very concentrate and stronger than normal detergent and is more dangerous when ingested. 

Please, if you have children do not use these pods. 

Second favor, I have been a parent for six years, and I never knew the number to my local poison control....until December.  In December, during the boys wellness check ups, the doctor spoke with me and asked me all the basic questions. 

When she asked me if I had the poison control number, I told her no.  She had a magnet, but she said, "Why don't you type it into your phone.  That way you have it right there in an emergency."

Saturday, I remembered I had the number in the contacts and quickly called poison control.  I really didn't know what poison control did, but the lady that answer knew right away all the affects of Tide Pods.

"He looks fine," I told her. "He just coughed a little." The poison control worker paused and said, "He coughed? You need to get him to the hospital right away. He is going to get much worse within the first hour. Do you need an ambulance?"

 I told her we were leaving right away, and by the time we got to the hospital, his breathing was much worse and I knew she was right. The poison control worker asked the hospital we were going to and she called ahead to let them know we were coming. When we got to the emergency room we went right through.

That poison control worker showed me the seriousness of the situation, and I will always be grateful to her and the doctor that made me save the number. 

Today, please do me two favors and get rid of the Tide Pods, and call your pediatrician, find out the number to poison control, and put it in your phone.

 My little guy came off the ventilator yesterday.  I think it's going to be a while, but I think he is on the mend.