To be absolutely seething - beyond seething - after walking into the kitchen this morning to find DS playing with the paracetamol bottle that H gave him?

[Tizzylizzy]

I'm gutted. Absolutely gutted. I have an obsession about medicines getting into the wrong hands anyway. H reckons it was fine as the Calpol had a child safety cap on it. I'm just so upset and H doesn't understand why. Keeps saying I've made I've made my point. I'll literally be worried all day now that DS has somehow managed to ingest some of it.

I just feel a bit like I've aired dirty laundry when DH is great in every other way. Thanks to those who've calmed me down by saying there would have been a sticky mess everywhere etc. The official line now is that DS picked up said bottle and DH 'didn't take it off him'. Like that makes a difference!

NotAnArtist sorry but that is not true. It depends on the weight and age of the child. Paracetamol is hepatotoxic, hence why hospitals get so twitchy about anyone who has remotely gone over the recommended limit, and children are complex little beasts, so I would never assume it would be okay. It needs careful dose/weight titration, and any other factors e.g. medical conditions and other medication taken into account.

Sounds to me like no harm done this time but YANBU to be cross with DH .

It is a bad habit to give children mixed messages about medicines. They are not toys + there should always be an adults only rule for handling at all times.

Pineapple my under 3 comment was less about them being able to get the cap off and more about them being neat enough to have not spilt it everywhere! Even my 5 yo would have dribbles down him in this situation (well not, because he knows its not to play with but ykwim)

It was a silly thing for DH to do but you are overreacting. I'm sure DH will think twice before doing anything like that again so time to put it behind you now.

Very silly of you husband. I hope he is feeling suitably ashamed and won't do it again.

I remember years ago, they were testing different child-proof containers for medicines and videoing the exploration of the containers by the children. They put smarties inside.
Some of the male scientists were very smug about how clever they'd been until one robust child with the jaw of a bulldog put the container in his mouth and bit down.
He then ate the smarties out of the shattered remains.
My DD was good at puzzles, she worked out the push down and twist of a child proof lid at nursery. So fooling around with medicine is never a good idea, a locked cabinet until they are old enough to be sensible is the best way.

OP it sounds like you have two kids who shouldn't be allowed to play together.

Ok, I should apologise, the way I wrote that looked as if I was saying you shouldn't be concerned if your child drank a whole bottle. if I knew a child had drunk a large amount I would call the doctor/A&E no matter what I had been told.
What I meant to write was that doctors have told me before that children can drink a whole bottle and not be harmed, so in this case, where the lid is still on and the contents are pretty much the same (if they were noticeably different you would know he'd drank it) there is no real need to panic.

I once stupidly left the calpol in my bedroom after ds2 had been ill. We then went. Away for the weekend and I forget it was there.

I was running a bath for him the morning after we got back and he managed to find it, take the lid off and drink it. He was about 20 months at the time.

Trip to a&e all day having blood tests and luckily he hadn't taken much. Most was being soaked up by my mattress. It was bloody scary though.

So no I don't think yabu. It's better if they learn from a young age that it's not for playing with

Calpol is like chocolate- you can SEE if a toddler has had any! Your husband was a royal twit, though. Medicines must never ever seem like a toy. Otherwise young children will treat it like any other toy and think it's fine to play with when no-one's watching.

Oh moomin! I'd have been so scared! So glad it turned out fine. Twit is a good name for my DH. I'm pinching it.

anyway, i think here, that the issue is not even whether the kid might have ingested any of it - the message should always be that there are certain things you don't play with. full stop.

because next time, he might be able to take the top off, and drink it (if it's calpol) or eat some of the "sweeties"

He needs to be given the consistent message that you don't touch or play with containers like that, because they're dangerous.

I think this is a bit of an overreaction tbh. Was anyone with your toddler at the time?

DrJohnson I think the point of the thread was that Op's Dh was with her toddler at the time.

YANBU but....I remember a thread not so long ago about a mum allowing her baby to play with a plastic bag and that was widely seen as ok so long as the child was supervised. I have done this myself as the scrunchy noise is good for a distraction with the baby.

OP if your son is over the age of about 18 months I'd be tearing him a new one as well, as you don't want DS to remember being allowed to play and as many others have mentioned, trying it himself. If he is a baby, then I think a 'that's not sensible' would suffice as a telling off.

ok well then I think it's an over-reaction.

My DS was building towers with calpol bottles last week. I'm not advocating that as a parenting technique but really, there was not much damage he could do other than create a sticky mess.

It's a fair point that children should be taught not to touch medicine but other than that point, I really don't see that he could come to much harm if DH was in the room.

DrJohnson calpol bottle towers, you are funny. Thanks that made me

I dont think she is over reacting.medicines,pills,cleaning products,stuff in bathroom cabinets that could be harmful,should not be anywhere near where young children can access them.

YADNBU. This reminds me of when I looked out of the window and saw DD running about in the garden with a screwdriver DH gave her.

Pfft at yorkieg. It's not the first time he's given DS entirely inappropriate things to play with. Bloody men.

More evidence I'm a lax parent as if more were needed. I can honestly say this wouldn't have bothered me in the slightest. I know my DCs wouldn't be able to remove the lid, and as long as they were being watched, I can't see the problem with it.

I do understand the "medicine shouldn't be seen as toys" argument, but as long as they are kept out of reach when an adult isn't around...

MsVestibule, I'm with you on this one. Sorry OP. As long as the child's being watched.

I mean, my dc's could turn the gas oven on at 2, but I didn't insist on them not being allowed in the same room as it. They can also open windows and chuck themselves out. But you don't let them do it do you?

OP - you are being a fussy old fuss pot.

I was livid at DH for leaving the top off the calpol, and DS got hold of it and poured it all over himself, makes me shudder to think that he might have drunk it. So so stupid of DH.

However the top was on the bottle in this case. I think you are overreacting.

Although I have to say, I did raise an eyebrow at DH when I discovered he'd accidentally left a (locked) stanley knife in DD's pram a few years ago.