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What should I do if my child may have swallowed something harmful?
Poisoning needs medical advice fast — here is what to do while you wait for help.
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What it is
Poisoning can happen if you swallow, touch or breathe in substances that can be harmful, such as chemicals or medicines [1]. A poison is any substance that is harmful to your body, and you might swallow it, breathe it in, inject it or absorb it through your skin [7]. Any substance can be poisonous if too much is taken [7].
Common causes include medicines such as paracetamol, ibuprofen or antidepressants, household cleaning products such as bleach or laundry detergents, alcohol and drugs, certain plants and mushrooms, pesticides, workplace chemicals and carbon monoxide [4]. Other sources list prescription or over-the-counter medicines taken in doses that are too high, overdoses of illegal drugs, carbon monoxide from gas appliances, household products such as laundry powder or furniture polish, pesticides, indoor or outdoor plants, and metals such as lead and mercury [7].
Symptoms can depend on what caused the poisoning and may include feeling sick or being sick, diarrhoea, feeling sleepy, blurred vision, a high temperature or feeling hot, cold or shivery, confusion, difficulty breathing, seizures (fits) and loss of consciousness [4]. Symptoms may take a few hours or days to start, so it is important to get medical advice quickly if there is a chance that you or someone else could have poisoning [4]. The effects of poisoning range from short-term illness to brain damage, coma and death [7].
What you can do at home
Get medical advice immediately if you think you or someone else has been poisoned [1]. While you are waiting for medical help [2]:
- Start CPR if someone is unresponsive and not breathing [2].
- Put the person in the recovery position if they are unconscious and still breathing [2].
- Keep checking that the person is breathing — if they are awake, keep talking to them to make sure they have not lost consciousness [2].
- Try to find what may have caused the poisoning — look around for packaging, containers or medicines [2].
- Take some of the substance or its packaging to show doctors at the hospital, if possible [2].
- If the person vomits, try putting some vomit in a container to give to healthcare professionals, to help them find out what caused the poisoning [2].
Do not try to make someone sick if you think they have swallowed something harmful — they could choke and stop breathing [2]. Do not give the person anything to eat or drink [2].
You will need to be treated in hospital for poisoning, because it can make you seriously unwell and can be life threatening [5]. Treatment depends on what caused the poisoning and may include medicines (antidotes), a charcoal drink that can help stop some types of poisoning, treatments to help with symptoms such as fluids given into a vein to treat dehydration, or removing what caused the poisoning from your body — for example, some substances can be removed from your blood [5]. If you do not have symptoms, you may not need any treatment, but may still need to be monitored for several hours in case you become unwell [5].
To prevent poisoning at home [6]:
- Store medicines and chemicals out of reach of children, ideally in a locked cupboard [6].
- Read the instructions that come with your medicines carefully to make sure you take the correct dose [6].
- Put safety catches on low cupboards that contain harmful substances such as cleaning products [6].
- Keep liquid cleaning products and chemicals in their original containers so they are not mistaken for drinks [6].
- Get a carbon monoxide alarm for each room of your home that contains appliances that burn gas, oil, coal or wood [6].
- Wear equipment such as gloves, goggles or a mask when handling or using harmful chemicals [6].
Use and store products exactly as their labels say, and keep dangerous products where children cannot get to them [7].
When to see a doctor or go to the emergency department
Get medical advice immediately if you think you or someone else has been poisoned [1]. Call your local emergency number or go to the emergency department if [1]:
- you think you, a child or someone else may have swallowed, touched or breathed in something harmful
- someone has lost consciousness
- someone has stopped breathing
- you or someone else has severe difficulty breathing — you are unable to get words out, or you are choking or gasping
- you or someone else has a seizure (fit)
Do not drive yourself to the emergency department. Ask someone to drive you, or call your local emergency number and ask for an ambulance. Bring any medicines you take with you [1].
If you are not sure whether something you or someone else has swallowed, touched or breathed in is harmful, contact your doctor for urgent advice [1].
Common questions
Can food poisoning be treated at home? Food poisoning from food that has not been prepared or stored properly can be treated at home. It is rarely serious and usually gets better on its own within a week [3].
Is lead poisoning a concern? According to WHO, lead is one of 10 chemicals of major public health concern [9]. Exposure to very high levels of lead can severely damage the brain and central nervous system, causing coma, convulsions and even death, and children who survive severe lead poisoning may be left with permanent intellectual disability and behavioural disorders [10]. At lower levels of exposure that may have no obvious symptoms, lead can permanently affect children’s brain development, resulting in reduced IQ, behavioural changes including reduced attention span and increased antisocial behaviour, and reduced educational attainment [10]. Lead exposure also causes anaemia, hypertension, renal impairment, immunotoxicity and toxicity to the reproductive organs [10]. There is no known safe blood lead concentration; even blood lead concentrations as low as 3.5 µg/dL may be associated with decreased intelligence in children, behavioural difficulties and learning problems [10]. WHO guidelines recommend that for individuals with a blood lead concentration equal to or greater than 5 µg/dL, the source of lead exposure should be identified and appropriate action taken to stop the exposure [9].
How common is lead exposure? The Institute for Health Metrics and Evaluation estimates that more than 3.5 million deaths globally were attributed to lead exposure in 2023, mainly due to cardiovascular effects, and that lead exposure accounted for more than 71.5 million years lost to disability worldwide in 2023 [8].
Sources
[1] NHS — “Poisoning” (2025), section “Poisoning”, p. 1 — https://www.nhs.uk/conditions/poisoning/ [2] NHS — “Poisoning” (2025), section “While you’re waiting for medical help”, p. 1 — https://www.nhs.uk/conditions/poisoning/ [3] NHS — “Poisoning” (2025), section “Food poisoning advice”, p. 1 — https://www.nhs.uk/conditions/poisoning/ [4] NHS — “Poisoning” (2025), section “Symptoms of poisoning”, p. 1 — https://www.nhs.uk/conditions/poisoning/ [5] NHS — “Poisoning” (2025), section “Treatments for poisoning”, p. 1 — https://www.nhs.uk/conditions/poisoning/ [6] NHS — “Poisoning” (2025), section “How to prevent poisoning”, p. 1 — https://www.nhs.uk/conditions/poisoning/ [7] MedlinePlus — “Poisoning” (2018), p. 1 — https://medlineplus.gov/poisoning.html [8] WHO — “Lead poisoning”, section “Burden of disease”, p. 1 — https://www.who.int/news-room/fact-sheets/detail/lead-poisoning-and-health [9] WHO — “Lead poisoning”, section “WHO response”, p. 1 — https://www.who.int/news-room/fact-sheets/detail/lead-poisoning-and-health [10] WHO — “Lead poisoning”, section “Health effects in children”, p. 1 — https://www.who.int/news-room/fact-sheets/detail/lead-poisoning-and-health
This guide summarises published paediatric guidelines. It is not medical advice and does not replace your paediatrician. In an emergency, call your local emergency number.
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