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laundry Liquitabs safety warning - please read if you don't know the dangers to toddlers

159 replies

EdithWeston · 06/09/2012 06:39

article here.

Linked in case there are other peole who are unaware of their dangers: there has been a spate of admissions to hospital for toddlers with various very serious injuries. The contents of the tab are alkali and strong enough to cause burns/swelling to eyes if spattered and thread (leading to need to ventilate).

These injuries typically follow small children getting hold of the tabs and playing with them leading to their splitting.

The packaging, according to the article, does not have safety warnings. But they need to be kept out of the reach of children at all times.

OP posts:
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happyinherts · 06/09/2012 06:56

You didn't know you need to keep detergents, cleaners and abrasives out of the reach of toddlers? Warning or no warning on box, isnt that just common sense?

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EdithWeston · 06/09/2012 07:04

Well, enough people didn't know that for there to have been 5 admissions, including eg need for ventilator.

It's now on BBC Breakfast news.

They are more of a problem because they look like sweeties. And most alkali corrosives do have warnings (unlike say washing up liquid).

But thanks for posting, even if I get roasted for my ignorance, I'm hoping that those who may be equally ignorant will read and note the information, even if they are now reluctant to post in light of flames.

OP posts:
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SoupDragon · 06/09/2012 07:07

There will always be people who don't know about safety issues.

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Itsjustafleshwound · 06/09/2012 07:12

Perhaps it is also the fact that they are bright colours and are sqeezy makes them that more attractive than say a box of powder ...

Saying this, it kind of goes wirhout saying, that they should be kept out of teach of kids.

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butisthismyname · 06/09/2012 07:12

well that was my thought - keep them out of reach! Or am I being harsh?

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wonkylegs · 06/09/2012 07:18

I know the dangers and keep them well out of reach but did think the other day when my 4yo was eyeing up the bright blue & yellow jewel of a dishwasher tablet as I put the dishwasher on (mummy what's that? Can I have one?) - how stupid to make something so dangerous so appealing to kids.... Honestly I don't care what they look like (usually get bog standard White ones but this was a Tesco substitution) - I don't buy them for their appearance, just their ability to clean so why have they gone down this daft marketing route?

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LadyHortensiaBloom · 06/09/2012 07:25

My FC are past the toddler stage but thanks Edith for the heads up. I keep my laundry stuff on a low shelf in the utility and had sort of forgotten it would be a hazard for toddlers, will keep the door closed in future when friends with toddlers are visiting.

It is funny how when your dc are past the age of pulling things down/putting things in their mouths - how quickly your house reverts to being non-toddler friendly Smile

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EdithWeston · 06/09/2012 07:44

Another thread has emerged, so I'm not feeling alone in thinking that this safety message is worth promulgating.

Even though this might make me a figure to pity/scorn, might it be worth keeping this bumped today in case there are readers who would benefit from a reminder.

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FringeEvent · 06/09/2012 07:54

Whoops, that other thread was me - I did a search first to see if this story had already been posted about and no threads came up, which is rather strange.

We don't use the liquitabs at home - I have no idea whether or not the packaging has one of those square orange warning symbols, which is what I'd normally look out for - but I have to say, to my mind they resemble a little pouch of shower gel or dishwashing liquid (ie. comparably harmless products) more than any other household product I can think of, so I can see why a person might not automatically think of them as a highly dangerous chemical to be locked away as they would with bleach etc.

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ZeldaUpNorth · 06/09/2012 09:18

When d1 was younger she was helping load the washer and i (stupidly i guess) gave her a liquitab to put in. SHe squeezed and burst it all over her. Luckily I wiped it off as quick as possible and she was fine (most went on her pj's) In hindsight it was stupid but i just didnt think at the time.

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imnotmymum · 06/09/2012 11:30

I was feeling the news was patronising this morning. Keep babies/toddlers away from detergent (thank God for the BBC) and how we are all confused by supermarket deals. No wonder this country is going down the pan.

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JRsandCoffee · 06/09/2012 11:37

Thanks you [Edith] and [Fringe], we're expecting our first and I heard the news and thought "ah, need to think about that sort of stuff" so I think it was a very sensible post - not everyone hears/ sees the news before it moves on! Thank you Smile

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MadamGazelleIsMyMum · 06/09/2012 12:00

Thanks for posting OP, even though you would expect most people to know about things likely to be dangerous for toddlers it is good to have your attention drawn to things like this.

We keep our stuff out of reach, but a very resourcefull DD (19mo) recently managed to get her hands on a powder tablet and eat it (fortunately these are not toxic and she was fine) but always useful to be reminded to check that things are properly out of reach.

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toomuchmonthatendofthemoney · 06/09/2012 12:04

happyinherts bit harsh no? I think edithweston is trying to do a good thing by spreading the word on this, if it saves even one little kid a trip to the A&E, it's worth it.

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MountOVenus · 06/09/2012 12:07

these things are just a ridiculous marketing con anyway, so simple just buy powder

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HipHopOpotomus · 06/09/2012 12:14

What puzzles me is although they may LOOK like sweets, surely they must TASTE absolutely dreadful.

How do the children persevere long enough to swallow them? Why wouldn't they simply spit them out? (OK I know clearly they don't otherwise there wouldn't be kids in hospital). Do they need to make the tabs, or at least the wrappers absolutely foul tasting/inedible perhaps?

I don't use tabs but I do keep everything in the kitchen which is gated, or out of reach. DD1 never ever tried to open anything, DD2 is a toddler and a different story entirely, so we are on high alert fro household substances.

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Biscuitsneeded · 06/09/2012 12:23

It's not just idiots to whom accidents happen, you know. I let my son 'help' me load the washing machine when he was 2. I had liquitabs then (don't any more!) and yes they were kept where he couldn't get at them, but I handed him one to put inside the barrel. He squeezed it and it burst, spraying into his eyes. He immediately started screaming and I threw him in the bath and poured cold water in his eyes. I then banged on a neighbour's door and she took me, my son and my newborn to A&E as I felt there was no time to lose trying to park my own car. A&E washed out his eyes, which was a horrible experience for him and me, although luckily there was no lasting damage. So I have already forwarded the liquitabs article to lots of people, and I think it was very sensible of the OP to post. To those who sneer, I hope if a nasty accident befalls your child you will be able to say hand on heart that there was nothing you could have done to prevent it, but suspect a bit of humility might not go amiss...

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addictedisback · 06/09/2012 12:33

Hiphip, when I was 3 I drank an entire bottle of nail varnish remover Confused that stuff is disgusting but apparantly it didn't phase me!

I was just thinking well duh! Until I realised I was just watching while my not yet 2 year old put the tablet in the dishwasher and turned it on Blush she loves to help I hadn't even considered it was dangerous [face palm]

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VagolaJahooli · 06/09/2012 12:36

So sue me for being stupid but I had not thought of the dangers of them bursting open and spraying. I keep them safely put away but have had the boys help me put them in the dishwasher and not thought of them spraying. I am a peadiatric nurse so yes I should know and generally I am pretty big on reducing risks. But is something I just was not aware of. Thank you so much for posting. Those of superior in intelligence didnt need the warning but for us dummy mummys you may have stopped another accident. Good on you.

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SmellsLikeTeenStrop · 06/09/2012 12:40

I think there is a lot of ignorance about the dangers of washing detergents. People who would never leave an unopened bottle of bleach lying around wouldn't think twice about leaving an open box of liqui-tabs in reach of a toddler. I don't see that it's patronising to put out reminders that small children can be seriously injured by coming in to direct contact with washing liquid.

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Lastofthepodpeople · 06/09/2012 12:47

Another one here who keeps the tabs out of reach of 2yo DS. I also saw the BBC this morning and thought it was a bit obvious to keep detergents out of reach.
I do let him help when loading dishwasher/washing machine and thought he'd be fine as long as I watched him closely so he didn't try eat it. I didn't think about it bursting. It just reminds me how easy it is for an accident to happen. Thanks for the thread, OP.

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BartiiMus · 06/09/2012 12:48

I appreciate threads like this cos it makes me double-check that things are tidied away and safe.

DS is only just toddling (he's 11 months but getting faster everyday) and we've already said that this weekend we need to do another round of babyproofing - not for easily accessible things (those are already away) but things in low cupboards etc like our medicine which is in a low cupboard and another box (plus all the packaging) so at the moment it's safe but won't be for long.

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BartiiMus · 06/09/2012 12:52

And very good point about something you give to your DC being potentially dangerous! (e.g. squeezing)

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EugenesAxe · 06/09/2012 12:56

I know the story about toddlers who ate washing powder and ended up not being able to talk due to dissolving their voicebox.

Just to reiterate all this stuff should be locked away.

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Bombus · 06/09/2012 12:56

hiphop They only need to bite into the liquitab for it to burst and then the fluid would be in their mouths/swallowed before they had a chance to even taste it.

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