Our most frequent callers are mothers or daycare providers taking care of children under the age of five years old. Each year, in the United States, about one million reported poison exposures occur in children less than five years old, with most occurring in children 2 to 3 years old. The most common exposures are to medications that resemble candy or flavored drinks. The medications may not only resemble candy in looks, but may also be made to taste good.
Chewable medications are the most common.
Young children will drink substances that resemble liquids we normally drink. Household products resembling Koolaid are often tasted by children. Commonly, young children will drink cough and cold syrups, asthma syrups, liquid acetaminophen or Tylenol , and liquid antibiotics. The summer months keep us especially busy. Exposures increase during the warm season since people are more active in the summer months.