Children and Safe Storage of Household Products
Household products are an important part of daily life.
Household products include air fresheners, adhesives, cleaning products, personal care & hygiene products (such as soaps, body wash, shampoos, body creams and deodorants), laundry products, hair dyes, car care products and disinfectants. Imagine life without these products! | Household products are safe when used according to the manufacturer’s directions. However, unsuitable exposure to household products can be harmful, especially to young children. Children aged 0-4 are one of the groups at highest risk of poisoning by household products. |
Why are children aged 0-4 at greatest risk?
Young children are inquisitive, gaining knowledge of their world through exploration.
In this age-group, children gain independent mobility. They move around with a high level of contact with the floor, walls and furniture. And they use their mouth as an exploratory tool.
| Additionally, children of this age cannot read. They develop judgment through: “...the necessary process of pushing the boundaries of their experience, developing their own sense of risk and danger, and taking progressive responsibility for their own lives.”[1] |  |
When can child poisoning happen?
Most child poisonings occur in the home. Child poisoning could happen any time, but especially:
What can YOU do to reduce the chance of child poisoning?
Click on the image to the right to download a checklist of tips for around your home. Click on the links below for more information: How common is child poisoning?What protections exist?Please contact ACCORD on 02 9281 2322 with any questions or comments. Or click on the links below for further information about child safety. |  |
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[1] UNICEF, ‘A league table of child deaths by injury in rich nations’, Innocenti Report Card No.2, February 2001. UNICEF Innocenti Research Centre, Florence.