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A UK mum has posted a photo of her son on Facebook as a warning to other parents to make sure their laundry pods are out of reach of children at all times.

In the image you can see the boy’s eyes are red raw and bruised from the terrifying ordeal.

“Please make sure that your children NEVER TOUCH these!” she wrote.

“The warnings on the boxes are minuscule and the boxes themselves aren’t childproof.

“I had no idea how awful the contents are.”

Her post continues, “My little human picked one up, as he always helps to do the washing, and it popped. The liquid went in his eyes. I had no idea how awful the contents are.

After washing them out as much as possible he was still clearly in a lot of discomfort and pain. My husband rang NHS direct who told us to get him to A&E immediately. On arriving at A&E we spent over an hour and a half with a full team of nurses who had to hold him down and force his eyes open whilst trying to neutralise the liquid with a litre and a half of saline fluid to wash out his eyes.

PLEASE LET EVERYONE YOU KNOW HEAR OF THIS. And share it as a warning. Even my baby wipes say on them ‘keep out of reach of children’. And we’ve all let our babies hold the pack whilst we change their nappies. I thought we were doing great parenting letting our children help with the washing.

It’s an awful advertising gimmick making them look like fun squiggy pouches. Even I’ve been tempted to give it a squish… multi-sensory is all the rage for a reason. But the manufacturers need to look at child proofing the boxes. And take this much more seriously.

Please don’t let your children help with the washing. These tablets are as bad as bleach and can be life threatening if swallowed.

We were fortunate… we acted fast and he was only blind for 3 days and with drops started to open his eyes and now has full sight back.

PLEASE KEEP OUT OF REACH OF CHILDREN

(I’m sharing this so that it might prevent other wonderful little humans getting hurt. Please share it as a warning)”

Her post has been shared over 2000 times.

The dangers

RESEARCHERS at Nationwide Children’s Hospital in Columbus, Ohio found that between 2013 – 2014, 62,254 children under six had swallowed various laundry and dishwasher detergents — with most of those children exposed under the age of three, News.com.au reported.

CHOICE shared in the 18 months leading up to 2013, there were 85 calls made to Australian poison hotlines relating to accidents involving children and exposure to laundry capsules.

In 2013 the ACCC warned consumers about liquid laundry detergent capsule injuries.

“Children who have either ingested these laundry capsules or have been exposed to them have experienced symptoms such as severe skin irritations, coughing, drowsiness, vomiting and even temporary blindness,” ACCC Deputy Chair Delia Rickard said.

Signs of poisoning

If you think your child has swallowed a corrosive, burning poison (such as dishwasher detergent, acid, caustic oven cleaner, swimming pool chemicals or some disinfectants), seek urgent medical help. Signs to watch for include:

  • red lips,
  • blisters,
  • possible breathlessness and coughing, and
  • swelling inside the mouth and severe pain.

Be sure to keep the following in mind if a poisoning does occur:

  • don’t induce vomiting and give the child nothing to eat or drink,
  • rinse as much of the detergent as possible from their mouth and flush their eyes with water for at least 15 minutes, and
  • If your child has been exposed to household chemicals, such as laundry detergent products, immediately contact the Poisons Information Centre on 13 11 26.

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  • Poor bub ! Glad you acted in time and the damage was reduced to temporary symptoms !
    The younger kids aren’t allowed in the laundry here and they know. They can help in different ways.

    Reply

  • wow that is very scary and it is a good reminder to keep these away from the kids

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  • Hope your bub makes a great recovery. The laundry area is one are my children don’t go into – so I am lucky

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  • I know a child who does her own washing. There is also pods that have granules in them. The child found 2 attached and tried to separate them. One burst and she got it in her eyes.

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  • I hope little Bub makes full recovery.

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  • Oh gosh I hope he will be ok, thank you for the warning. I do keep my laundry products out of the way where little kids can’t reach.

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  • That’s awful! All of my stuff is out of reach anyway, but I had no idea that it could do that if it got in the eye!

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  • The golden rule in our house is to keep everything dangerous higher than a 3 year old can climb to on a chair. Including (especially) everything with a child proof lock.

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  • I keep mine in an overhead cupboard in the laundry. However, it’s still good to know. As an adult, I could even accidentally squeeze one too tightly. I have noticed with these, and the dishwasher tabs, it does say to wash your hands always after use. It is something I adhere to.

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  • oh how awful for this child. Hopefully the manufacturer can work out a new box design to keep the contents contained away from little children

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  • How awful !!
    I never let my little one help with the washing. I don’t let her come in the laundry room where all the soaps and washing detergents are, it’s forbidden area.
    This story confirms how dangerous it is. Thanks for sharing.

    Reply

  • This is terrible. I’ve never tried the laundry pods yet. I think its good for kids to help out with household chores and sometimes it is hard to judge what is age appropriate. Our laundry cupboard had a child lock on it when they were younger, and other cleaners are still out of reach. I hope this bubba has a full and permanent recovery.

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  • What a terrifying ordeal for them to go through. His eyes look very sore. Poor little mite. So glad his blindness was only temporary.

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  • Wow, how absolutely terrifying. I cannot put on a load of washing without master 2 “helping.” Thankfully I don’t use these pods & supervise (as in holding his little hand) as he tips the detergent into the machine. I always make sure his hands are washed afterwards too. Glad to hear this little guy is on the mend ????

    Reply

  • oh my goodness, that is so scary. Poor little bub. Hope he is fine now. A good warning though

    Reply

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