Sodium bicarbonate, help!

[Nogodsnomasters]

My ds and I were doing a volcano lava lab (toy) experiment he got for Christmas. I was fully supervising and he had Goggles and gloves on but as I'm pouring in the water he says "I got some of that in my mouth" ... The sodium bicarbonate! I got him to spit and couldn't see anything, got him to open his mouth and stick tongue out couldn't see anything, gave him a drink of water.

Tried googling and all it says is that "too much" ingestion will be poisonous but how much is too much? Do I really need to ring hospital for advice (Northern Ireland no 111) or should I just wait and see? Any one got any experience of this?

If he has been poisoned when would symptoms start? Because we've got plans this afternoon but should I cancel if there's a chance he's going to start puking and need brought to hosp? Sigh

You use it in baking so it can't be that poisonous

It’s pretty much harmless. Almost everyone has it in their kitchen for baking and it’s a home remedy for indigestion and cystitis.

It's used in baking and also to take if you've got indigestion. It's not poisonous at all.

See that's what I'm confused about, I'm not really a frequent user of it as I don't bake but I do also know it's used for cleaning as well and there is nothing online which indicates how much is ok to be ingested. I honestly can't see him having had much if I couldn't see anything when he spat and opened mouth but first time fear.

He'll be fine. He'd have to swallow a lot of it to cause any ill effects. Bicarb is a common cooking ingredient, a little bit in his mouth won't hurt. It tastes pretty nasty so you'd know about it if he'd got much in his mouth.

It can also be used to treat heartburn

I think you’d have to ingest a lot, many recipes call for a teaspoon of it. I have used it in water to help UTI symptoms and was told by an ENT consultant to use it along with salt to make a nasal/sinus wash which I had to syringe up my nose while inhaling, so must have ingested a little.

Please stop panicking and think about this. The amount he got in his mouth was tiny, it’s not as though he took a spoon of it. People take spoonfuls for heartburn, and take no precautions at all when using it for baking. It’s used as a cleaner as a substitute for toxic things. Calm down and make your volcano foam.

Thanks everyone, it definitely wouldn't have been a teaspoon amount, it could only have been a crumb size if anything. The mixture also had food colouring in it and powdered citric acid which I know is added to fizzy drinks etc so the powder citric acid part would be fine too wouldn't it?

Citric acid is in citrus fruit. It’s fine.

Just because something is a “chemical” it doesn’t mean it’s dangerous. Citric acid is fine too, there will be more in an orange than what he’s swallowed.

It's just the instructions say seek medical advice immediately if swallowed so it freaked me out. Also have previous history of DH poisoning himself accidentally and needing hospital treatment after severe vomiting and breathing difficulties so I'm extra sensitive I think.

I guess the instructions is more in case they've eaten the entire bottle of the bicarb.