Poisonous houseplants are all over. They are in doctor’s offices, friend’s homes, and the mall. They seem to be everywhere and sometimes it can be hard trying to keep your children away from plants. Let’s look at some ways for keeping children away from poisonous house plants.
First, be aware of the poisonous plants. It is impossible for parents to keep up with all the different kinds of house plants that might be poisonous, so try to just memorize a few and what they look like. Also, just realize that you should probably keep your child away from the plants anyways. It is better to keep your child away from a potentially harmful plant than to keep the plant near your child and have something bad happen.
If you have house plants in your home, check to see if they are poisonous. You might have had them when you were single or didn’t have children or didn’t know if they were poisonous when you bought them. Either way, check to see. New studies come out all the time and so it is important to check up and make sure that nothing new has come out about your plants. If you find out they are poisonous, just get rid of them. If they are special to you, give them to a close friend or relative, one that doesn’t have children. The best way to keep your child safe from something like a plant is to get rid of it. Your child’s safety should be number one. If you have space above your kitchen cabinets, you could place the plants up there. They will be way out of the way and will allow you to keep your plants. However, if your children are climbers and love to get on the counters, you had better just get rid of them. If they want the plant they will get it.
If you are at a friend’s house who has plants, that may or may not be poisonous, ask them to maybe put them in a room where they won’t be touched. Toddlers love to get into plants and if this is a problem your toddler has, don’t be afraid to ask. Your friend doesn’t want to have to clean up dirt that got all over the carpet or not be able to even talk to you because you are too busy chasing your child. Ask in a very kind polite way. Don’t be rude about it.
You can also make sure that your child stays in a room that doesn’t have a plant in it. At parties or at friend’s homes it is really fun for children to play outside together or to play together in a room. Let your child play with them. You still have to keep an eye on them of course.
Keeping your children away from poisonous house plants is very important. Sometimes they only cause nausea but sometimes they can cause a lot more. Children are so much more susceptible to things than adults are. Make sure that no poisonous plants are within your child’s reach or sight.