abba12 Posted September 17, 2013 Share Posted September 17, 2013 Now, just before I begin my little story, the ages in my signature are wrong. They are the ages my children will be when we begin in January, I put it there because people were talking about their plans during the new school year on the K board and I decided to chime in. My children are actually 2.5 (3 at the beginning of February) and 11mo right now. This morning I was letting the kids have free play. I was sitting on the computer in the same room, which is our lounge/dining/family/kitchen area, huge open space. I thought I was paying attention, I was listening out for crashes, crying and chaos. What I hadn't been listening for is a 2 year old who knows how to sneak and be very quiet when she wants to be. I heard the sound of crackling foil, and recognized it immediately. I ran over, and my toddler, knowing exactly what she'd done, ran screaming away. While I was sitting in the same room with my back turned and my ears listening for 'not-good' noises, she managed to climb up on the stool, from the stool climb onto the kitchen counter, from there walk towards the fridge, somehow navigate around my big kenwood-style mixer and the 30cm (1ft) gap, to reach the top of the fridge and pull down daddy's prozac pills, then get down from the table and stool by herself carrying said pills in one hand. All this couldn't have taken longer than 10-15 minutes, as I was turning around to check on them in between writing forum posts here on the hive. 3 were missing. One was found half-eaten, the other two have not been found and we can only assume they were swallowed. My 2.5 year old is very bright, but not very verbal. She pointed to her mouth and said 'eat' and when I asked if she shared any with her sister, she said yes, however when asked if she didn't share them, she also said yes, so... We had no way of knowing which child ate what and how much. It was possible my older just tasted one pill and the other two were lost, or it was possible my younger had eaten all 2 and a half of them. A call to poisons line had me getting ready to go to the hospital (I have usually had nothing but nice people on that line, but it was amazing the way this lady's attitude soured towards me as soon as I mentioned Prozac, which is, for those who don't know, an antidepressant. I didn't even mention who takes it, but she obviously had formed some assumptions.) The hospital watched the girls for an hour or two, however they told us that Prozac is not too bad comparatively, the main concern is due to their sizes. Prozac also has a longer period before effects happen, so they allowed us to take the girls home and supervise from home (we live 5 minutes from the hospital) with strict instructions to return under certain circumstances. Very thankful for small blessings, no way did I want to sit in emergency for the next 6 hours! Prozac gives it's normal adult patients on a proper dose nausea and tiredness for the first few weeks after beginning to take it, that's quite a normal effect, so I expect some upset tummies tonight and some good nappers tomorrow. The two missing pills were never found even while DH and I turned the lounge room upside down searching, so we have to assume one of the children took them. The point to this story is, dangerous things can happen, quick as a flash and in the most unexpected of ways. I never expected a 2.5 year old to be able to pull pills off the top of the fridge, but this is my... challenging child, who is into everything. She has never, even as a baby, played with toys, she would much rather real items. Today that desire to play with real things got us in trouble. (sidenote, I don't believe she has ever watched my husband take those pills, though she has seen pills before. She may have been able to see them from the bench, and they are capsules, purple and aqua, so they probably looked quite appealing. I do know not to take pills in front of children, so I think she thought these were lollies (candy) ) I can't keep her in my line of sight every minute of every day, and I had assumed the top of the fridge was safe from 2 year old hands. No matter what we do, we can never truly childproof everything. I don't know if I should take from this that I need to be more overprotective, or that I need to realize how powerless I am, despite all my 'childproofing', to stop something bad, and it's only that tiny crinkle of foil that I heard that stopped it from being much worse. No matter what I do there's always going to be another danger, and frankly, this toddler will be the child to find it! Prayers for their health over the evening and night tonight would be appreciated. If there's going to be sick tummies, they should begin pretty soon judging by my husbands reactions the two times he has taken such courses of pills. I just hope the baby didn't take much, or any. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Jean in Newcastle Posted September 17, 2013 Share Posted September 17, 2013 :grouphug: If it is any consolation at all, my ds at that age managed to get a "child-proof" bottle of Robutussin open and drank the whole bottle. Poison control was absolutely correct then they told me that it would knock him out for hours. He was in a very deep sleep for about 12 hours. Of course, this happened to the be the day that I had to pick up my ILs from the airport and had to go meet them with a "comatose" ds in tow. I'll be praying for them tonight. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
sewingmama Posted September 17, 2013 Share Posted September 17, 2013 Oh yes I know how quick they can be. My DS almost strangled himself with blind cords not three steps from where I was sitting. He ran up and grabbed them, swung them around once and it wrapped around his neck good and tight and formed a knot. I was up in a flash but it had tightened so I couldn't put him down to grab scissors or it would choke him. That one swing had tangled it so badly I couldn't easily get it off with one hand ..I was lifting him with the other to take the pressure of his neck and stop it tightening further as he struggled. I did finally get it untangled but not before he was turning blue. All I can say is thank goodness I was there and saw it happen...even with my immediate reaction it was a struggle to save him. Oh and I ALWAYS keep the blind cords tied right up out of the kids reach because I have heard of kids having accidents but somehow it must have come loose and fallen down unnoticed. Sometimes I wonder how its possible any kid survives to adulthood lol. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
goldberry Posted September 17, 2013 Share Posted September 17, 2013 Thanks for sharing these stories. I think they help us all have humility and empathy. Parents who have bad things happen are not always horrible and negligent. My DD is older now, but I remember those days so well. She once got a knife down from the counter (she previously couldn't reach the counter) and was "playing" with it before I could even turn my head around. Thinking of you and your girls this morning... Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Jean in Newcastle Posted September 17, 2013 Share Posted September 17, 2013 I hope you all had an uneventful night. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Guest Posted September 17, 2013 Share Posted September 17, 2013 Prayers your way. I'm sorry the Poison Control person was so negative towards you. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
prairiewindmomma Posted September 17, 2013 Share Posted September 17, 2013 They sell lockable pill cabinets at most pharmacies. We also have a child who as a toddler got into everything that was supposedly "childproof". Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Hypatia. Posted September 17, 2013 Share Posted September 17, 2013 I hope your girls are feeling OK today! When DS1 was a toddler and preschool age I had poison control on speed dial. I couldn't remember my DH's cell phone number but I could rattle off that poison control number in a heartbeat, we were frequent flyers so to speak. :glare: It really can happen in just a quick second, I think many of us have been there. (I ended up in the ER myself when I was 4 years old because I took my great-aunt's heart medication she had put down on the counter for a minute.) Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Kerileanne99 Posted September 17, 2013 Share Posted September 17, 2013 I truly hope everything is okay! It is a horrible experience and a horrifying feeling. And goes to show that even when you think you have everything to keep them safe?! I have powerful medications I have to take...we keep them locked up, in a high cabinet AND in a locking box. I am extremely vigilant, but to be on the extra cautious side I practiced with my child. She has seen lots of different pills, and we did an exchange (starting at about age 2). ANYTHING remotely resembling a pill or medicine she finds can be exchanged for a mini m&m. I have exchanged lots of random crumbs and bits, and do think she takes advantage here and there... But about 1 month ago she actually brought me a pill!!! A tiny white one she had found on the floor in the kitchen. It turns out, we had brought in a appliance repairman to fix the dishwasher. Apparently, in the course of him rolling around on the kitchen floor it had fallen out of his pocket. The pharmacy identified it a a strong dose of nitroglycerin! We all do the best we can, and hope that our kids are well and safe. My thought are with you today.... Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
abba12 Posted September 17, 2013 Author Share Posted September 17, 2013 Sick tummies and cranky children, but nothing terrible. Thank you ladies for your comments and prayers Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
dragonflyer Posted September 21, 2013 Share Posted September 21, 2013 I had a friend who call the ages between 1 and 5 - the suicide watch years. You cannot watch every second, and they get into trouble so quickly. Be at peace and don't let someone who has never been in this stage guilt trip you. You listened, you figured out what happened before she swallowed a whole bottle of pills, you called those who could tell you what needed to be done... sounds like a conscientious, involved mom to me. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
strange_girl Posted September 21, 2013 Share Posted September 21, 2013 I had a friend who call the ages between 1 and 5 - the suicide watch years. You cannot watch every second, and they get into trouble so quickly. Be at peace and don't let someone who has never been in this stage guilt trip you. You listened, you figured out what happened before she swallowed a whole bottle of pills, you called those who could tell you what needed to be done... sounds like a conscientious, involved mom to me. :iagree: Good job, Mama! Glad they are doing all right. I have 3 in this stage ATM and I'm surprised anyone survives beyond toddlerhood :glare: Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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