When scrolling social media, how often do you see posts seeking medical advice or information? Asking friends, acquaintances, or others in parent groups gives us quick feedback and a feeling of community. People often post because the doctor’s office is closed, and they don’t want to wait until the morning for insight. Social media is available to us 24/7, and the answers are immediate.
But do you know what else is available to you 24/7 with immediate feedback? The Missouri Poison Center. Not only do they have a helpline to call with any question, but they also have an app you can download for info and a link to access their Poison Helpline. Their assistance is free, and confidential.
There are distinct benefits to getting help from experts rather than social media. With the Missouri Poison Center, you are getting answers directly from trained specialists, who are registered nurses and pharmacists. You can be confident that their guidance is more reliable than Jane’s, the girl you went to school with from 2nd through 5th grade. The information you are getting is accurate, and even faster than waiting for replies on Facebook. Even Emergency Department staff and First Responders have Missouri Poison Center on speed dial!
Best of all? The Missouri Poison Center is a resource for everyone! From infants to seniors, make the phone number accessible, and when in doubt, call! Be prepared, and prepare your entire family. If you’re a mom who hasn’t yet needed the services of the Missouri Poison Center, take this opportunity to familiarize yourself. Get their toll-free number on your refrigerator, put it in all of your devices, and download their app. In addition, Missouri Poison Center will ship educational materials and poison safety information for FREE to people in Missouri.
Full disclosure: I am a mom who has used the Missouri Poison Center more than once, and in every situation, my call was answered quickly, information was taken, and I got the answers I needed to keep my kids safe.
How prepared are you? How many of these 8 common situations could you solve on your own? Thanks to the Missouri Poison Center, you never have to be on your own! With their interactive website, you can educate yourself on these common situations (and many, many more) and their helpline is continually staffed.
8 Common Situations that Call For The Missouri Poison Center
- You are either a “slime mom,” or the stuff has been banned from your home. Either way, what do you do when your child accidentally ingests Play Foam, Play Sand, or Play Slime? The good news is that slime and similar products are relatively low-risk. They are likely to do more damage to your carpet or clothing than your child. The level of risk depends on what they ingested and how much. So, give your child some water, and call the poison center to determine your next course of action!
- Bath Bombs are everywhere. They make bathtime fun and often leave your skin feeling and smelling great! However, with their cute shapes, fun colors, and delicious scents, bath bombs may tempt a child to take a bite. Similar to slime, bath bombs are considered low-risk, and the course of action is to rinse their mouths and give the poison center a call.
- Do you have Water Beads (Orbeez) in your home? While fun to play with, these cause a much greater risk to children when ingested. They are usually marked as non-toxic, giving parents a false sense of security. The danger comes not from what water beads are made of but from how they react in the body when swallowed. Water beads absorb liquid, and can grow to the point of obstruction inside the body, causing a medical emergency.
- Raise your hand if you’ve given your child Glow Sticks, only to discover that they’ve bitten through them, causing the glowing substance to stain their hands and faces. Been there, dealt with that! Glow Sticks are relatively low in toxicity, but still not something we want our kids ingesting!
- We talked about how parents use social media to answer medical concerns … but let’s not forget another popular use of these platforms: trends. Kids and teens are challenged regularly to partake in potentially risky behavior due to viral videos on social media. One such example is the One Chip Challenge. The challenge here is not just to eat the absurdly spicy chip, but to do so without reaching for the relief of milk or water. This challenge can cause extreme discomfort and abdominal issues. The poison center lists some quick ways to lessen the pain: milk, bread, sugar, and honey are all things moms have on hand, and they can help bring down the heat!
- Moms of older kids have even bigger worries than glow sticks and bath bombs. A very real threat to our kids is Fentanyl and Fake Prescription Drugs. If someone you know is having a serious reaction to drugs, 9-1-1 is the first number to call. But as parents, the poison center is a valuable resource for questions about identifying pills and educating ourselves about drugs. All calls are confidential. Please don’t hesitate to get the help and answers you need.
- Another concern for parents of older kids is Alcohol Poisoning. The poison center can help answer many of your questions and decide what treatment is needed. While alcohol typically comes into play with older kids, having the poison center in your contacts is greatly comforting no matter your child’s age. Especially when your entire extended family is vacationing together at the lake, and your 3-year-old grabs a water bottle full of Mike’s Hard Lemonade and proceeds to drink half of it before anyone notices. True story, and yes, the Missouri Poison Center stayed on the phone with me for my many, many questions.
- I have seen parents post pictures of various Vaping products in parent groups, trying to determine what exactly they’ve found in their child’s room before they confront their child. The poison center can help you not only identify what you are dealing with, they can talk you through the dangers and risks and prepare you for that tough conversation.
These are some of the more common issues, but the Missouri Poison Center is there to help you with all of your questions and concerns … even when your child chews on the bulb of a jack-o-lantern flashlight they were holding in the car on the way to go trick-or-treating. Another true story, and another phone call that kept my child safe and allowed us to still celebrate Halloween.
The Missouri Poison Center is there for you and your family. Don’t hesitate to use them!
