Keep your children safe with these household danger warnings

Thursday, August 2, 2018
Household danger warnings
Parents with young children, you may need to know what products can be dangerous to your little ones.

If you have young children, you need to know which household products could be the most dangerous. Recent data shows out of two million poison control calls, nearly half involved kids age six and under.

You've probably heard the warnings about button batteries, as young children can easily swallow them.

Consumer Reports suggest if you have toys and other household electronics, make sure you secure the battery compartments with a screwdriver.

Other dangers you may not think about are cosmetics and personal care products. Hand sanitizers, mouthwash, perfume, and -- perhaps surprisingly -- vanilla extract, are all alcohol-based.

"Many of them contain ethanol, which is the same type of alcohol you find in alcoholic beverages. Just a small amount can cause a young child of say 25 pounds or less to become extremely intoxicated," said Consumer Reports Product Safety Expert, Don Huber.

Also dangerous, but no surprise, are cleaning products and laundry detergent pods. Consumer Report recommends not even having them in the house if you have young kids.

One more piece of advice, Consumer Reports recommends keeping personal care products and cleaners in their original bottles so kids know what it is. A different container, like a travel-size bottle, may not have child-resistant caps or a safety nozzle.