Home / Parenting / Safety Poison control alert: Keep hand sanitizer away from kids One small but important item parents may have overlooked amidst the chaos of coronavirus confinement this week? Baby and kid-proofing our new quarantined lives. By Elizabeth Tenety March 18, 2020 Rectangle One small but important item parents may have overlooked amidst the chaos of coronavirus confinement this week? Baby and kid-proofing our new quarantined lives. According to a report in Axois Tuesday, the online Poison Control portal has noted a 22% increase in inquiries about accidental hand sanitizer consumption, suggesting that babies and children at home may be getting their hands on their parents’ supplies. Hand sanitizer, whose main ingredient is ethyl alcohol, is dangerous if consumed as it can actually make children drunk, lowering their heart rates and affect breathing. “A lick of hand sanitizer will not be fatal to a child or anyone else,” the poison control website explains. “It does contain alcohol and so should be stored, like other potential poisons, out of sight and out of reach.” “You’ll have a lot more children at home among the toxic products that are already there…It’s on the counter now and more readily available,” Dr. Kelly Johnson-Arbor, medical toxicologist and co-medical director at the National Capital Poison Control Center told Axios. With parents practicing sanitizing, hand washing and cleaning at record rates, it’s important for us to keep products (as always) stored away from curious children. If a child does get into some hand sanitizer (or anything else), the experts at poison control suggest parents use the Poison Control online tool or call Poison Control at 1-800-222-1222. If your child is having trouble breathing call 9-1-1. Related Stories Viral & Trending Mom’s viral safety hack shows how to install a car seat as tightly as possible Safety Looking for a new family car? Make sure it has these key safety features, an expert says Viral & Trending Mom says using Apple AirTags helps her keep track of her toddler daughter in real-time The latest Pregnancy 5 dangers of pregnancy dehydration Pregnancy 7 ways to lower blood pressure during pregnancy Women's Health Postpartum night sweats: Also known as your own private summer Pregnancy ‘Geriatric pregnancy’ isn’t an offensive term