Ingesting remnants of cleaning spray - what to do?

[Bettyfromduggee]

My husband is already on hold to 111 as I insisted that we ring and ask for advice.

This morning I sprayed my daughter's highchair down with method antibac cleaning spray. I left it on for a few minutes to work but forgot to wipe it down again.

This evening she sat up and ate her dinner mainly off the tray, including things that were wet like beans and strawberries. She had finished her dinner and had left a couple of pieces of strawberry so I decided to eat them and they tasted funny, like soap. Then I suddenly realised that I had forgotten to wipe the fluid off.

The tray looked dry when she was first sat at the table but I didn't really check, we just popped her in and got on with her dinner. Now I'm panicking that eating food covered in (even maybe dried up) remnants of spray will have hurt her. I wanted to call 111 but my husband thinks I'm being silly. WWYD?

You were pretty rude to @iftherewereahorseyinthehouse as well OP - I think their comment about people with Covid was about how long it took you to get through to 111, they weren't accusing you of wasting NHS time!

@Mrsjayy yes I see that, thank you, I appreciate you weren't meaning to sound like that. I just wasn't asking about whether I should or shouldn't give her food on her high chair tray, I just wanted advice on the spray thing. Didn't want it to turn into a debate about how toddlers should be fed or anything like that!

Would you normally wash the anti bac off? What's the point if you do?

@bethany39 no I didn't mean it like that, I did genuinely wonder if anyone would say I was wasting their time because I wasn't sure if I was being silly by wanting to ring them! I really don't want to waste their time.

Fair enough 😀

@WINDOLENE I would usually spray the surface, leave for a couple of minutes to work, and then wipe with a damp cloth. I missed the last bit.

Thank you everyone for reassuring me. I am sure you are all right and she will be fine, she's asleep now. And the 111 people haven't called back yet so they obviously aren't too worried either! When they call back I will say she seems fine and I will just keep an eye on her.

Oh come on this is silly. Even if you’d sprayed a bit in her mouth she’d be fine. Hours later? Dried? You are wasting NHS time. What do you think will happen? That they’ll tell you to rush her in and pump her stomach? Think what you want them to say?

I wouldn't worry. The actually spray most likely evaporated off long before the food came in contact with it The scent probably transfer onto the food which made it taste funny to you. Some people can taste smells. (I do). If my re usable coffee cup is washed in the dishwasher I can taste the dishwasher tablet despite filling and emptying with hot water before use.

You haven't mentioned what it actually says on the bottle of the product you used. That might be a good place to start?

@NoCureForLove it says what to do if you get it in your eye but it doesn't say anything about ingesting it. Doesn't even say anything about what to do if the whole bottle was drank?!

@Fallowdeerhunter no need to be mean. No of course I don't want them to say that.

Thank you @purplecorkheart that's a good point I hadn't thought about the scent.

Also @Fallowdeerhunter are you actually suggesting that it would be fine to spray some cleaning fluid in a child's mouth, and you wouldn't seek any medical advice in that situation? That seems very odd.

Well I think you can be pretty sure that it if is harmful if ingested the label would mention that.

Try not to worry OP. Fwiw, my ds eats mud, food from underneath the sofa, twigs and my cat's dry food. I once caught him chewing on a dead bird's leg too... Don't ask! He's been fine and has a strong immune system.

Haha thank you @MrsPworkingmummy the dead bird leg made me laugh a lot! :-D

Do the instructions say to rinse off?
The cloth you rinse it with will have far more bacteria on it, and just re contaminate the surface.
Your daughter will be fine.

@Shooglywheel it just says wipe with a cloth. I always use a clean cloth which I know sounds weird but we use cloth wipes for hands/face etc so I have a load of cleaning cloths too and wash them both really frequently along with bibs as well.

Honestly op by the time you've had your third they'll be practically feral! If your dc is as perky as normal after all this time, I really wouldn't worry.

@Mrsjayy

I really wasn't meaning to be smug I just don't think food should be on high chair trays but as I said it wasn't needed sorry.

A highchair tray is just like a big plate though. You can normally detach them and was them under the tap like a plate.

Wash

@WINDOLENE

Would you normally wash the anti bac off? What's the point if you do?

That you will have killed the bacteria that were alive on the surface.

OP I wouldn't worry as it's a one off.

I hope this helps, OP. It sounds like you only need to seek help if your child feels unwell.