Firenze Moms 4 Moms Network

I have heard some stories of “my child ate this and my child ate that”.  Children love to explore and then they like to taste so it might be inevitable for a child to go through life without something that they ate and were not supposed to. If your child ate something you will need to determine the next step.  If it is an object and not chemical or medicines, check to see if the child is breathing.  If he is getting air then that is a good sign it did not get stuck.  Next determine if it is a battery, magnet, or sharp object, these are very dangerous and require a trip to the emergency room.  The others should be brought to the attention of your doctor, where most likely you are going to be checking your child’s stool for the object he swallowed.

You can read more about what happens if your child swallows something that is not a medicine or chemical here:

Accidental Ingestions: Objects (Not Medications / Chemicals) – pediatricanswers.com

If it is a chemical or medicine, you need to act quick. You have to call poison control which is called (Centri Veleni in Firenze)

The number for Firenze is TEL.055/7947819 

You will need to have this information most likely in Italian, so maybe have a sheet with it on your frig:

• The victim’s age
• The victim’s weight
• The victim’s existing health conditions or problems
• The substance involved and how it contacted the person (was it swallowed, inhaled, absorbed through skin contact or splashed into the eyes?)
• How long ago they swallowed or inhaled the substance
• Any first aid which may have been given
• If the person has vomited
• Your location, and how long it will take you to get to a hospital

For a list of other numbers in other areas of Italy: Il centro antiveleni

Here is a list of a few different things that children have been noted for swallowing.

Arts and crafts supplies
Nails, Pins, & Tacks
Magnets
Hair
Boogers
Batteries
Pills
Buttons
Fabric from sleeves and necks of shirts
Balloons
Bathtub water
Marbles
pencil eraser
detergents
coins
jewelry
Plants
Gum
toys

What are your stories?  Has your child swallowed something strange?

Some Related Articles:

The Poison Control Center – chop.edu
http://www.tox.it
Top 10 Things Kids Accidentally Swallow – babyzone.com