If only one adult is present and the child is in imminent danger, first aid should be administered and 911 notified before calling Poison Control. Always err on the side of assuming the situation is urgent, if you are not sure. Of course, you can take action only if you are aware of the signs of a poisoning, which can include difficulty breathing or speaking, dizziness, unconsciousness, foaming or burning of the mouth, cramps, nausea, and vomiting. And the younger the child, the more likely that he or she will ingest something dangerous. Before then, you really can't leave your children alone in a room with available toxic agents or expect them to leave something alone when you tell them to.
Prevention is, as the saying goes, the best remedy.
Be sure to keep the usual and the unusual suspects out of reach and out of sight. Other less-obvious substances should also be kept out of harm's way, she says, including iron supplements, which are the leading cause of pediatric poisoning death. Children have died of alcohol poisoning from drinking mouthwash. All of these items should be kept locked up and in their original, childproof packaging. Perrin also says that cosmetics and other attractively packaged items found in mom's purse are dangerous.