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Original poster

To warn you about Bio Oil and baby oil

139 replies

DesignedForLife · 30/01/2017 23:37

Don't leave in reach of young kids. If inhaled they can kill.

DH is sat in A&E with DD (2) waiting to be transferred to the paediatric ward. She swiped the bottle and drank it whilst he was making her bed.

I'm so worried, and feel so rubbish I can't be with her as baby DS is breastfed and won't take a bottle. I just want to be with her :(

Please please keep oils out of reach of kids. I had no idea. I had no idea she could unscrew lids!

OP posts:
ErrolTheDragon · 31/01/2017 09:33

Anyone feeling stupid - I've got 2 chemistry degrees and it had simply never occurred to me that you could inhale oil, never used it though. (it probably would have occurred to DH as he worked on chemical plants so is massively aware of hazards). But, I do tend to read and take note of warning labels.

Roomba · 31/01/2017 09:34

I was aware of this, but only after my cousin's toddler drank half a bottle of olive oil (urgh) and she was warned of the risk at A&E. Thankfully he was fine other than a grim case of the shits, but my DS was about 8 at the time and I'd had no idea.

It always makes me squirm when I see those 'hilarious' photos on FB/Buzzfeed of kids who've smothered themselves and the room in paint/oil/other liquids - I just think oh my god, that's really not funny, they could have died.

Iamdobby63 · 31/01/2017 09:35

Grown up children and I never knew this either.

Thanks for the warning, I hope your daughter is home now and all is well.

tobedo · 31/01/2017 09:36

Long time mother here who had no idea.

This needs some serious publicity.

winewolfhowls · 31/01/2017 09:37

Another person with no idea here and our baby oil was on the floor by the changing mat in the bathroom. Not any more! Thanks

unlucky83 · 31/01/2017 09:40

This is good to know - the more people hear about things like this the better - I know one mum who because of a tragic event was super careful with her DCs - but let them play with batteries -she didn't know how dangerous they were..
I didn't know about oils but didn't use it ...and was super careful with toiletries as I knew a toddler (slightly older than my DC1) who drank 'chocolate' body wash (which involved brief hospitalisation) - normally out of reach but had been left on the side for a few minutes whilst putting shopping away....
And another who found their DC eating sudocreme out the tub - with a spoon...was fine!
Agree with Soup - I was aware of and careful about keeping upstairs windows locked - long story - but a chain of events meant after leaving toddler DD upstairs for a couple of minutes I came back to find her hanging out of one..
When I was hysterical telling DM about it - she said something really sensible (for once!) - accidents happen. You can do everything you can to prevent them but there is only so much you can do...they do still happen. Sometimes you just have to learn from it and be thankful it wasn't worse...
IME they usually happen because things are different to 'normal' - you are off guard - or they do something random - or you think they are old enough to know better.
DD1 had more near misses than DD2 - partly because I was more aware but more likely because she was diagnosed with ADHD at 14.
So as well as the window - DD1 has spilt a mug of hot soup down her front (put down for a second, thankfully thick, clothing stopped it before it burned), swallowed the magnet off a fridge magnet, trapped her fingers in the car door, was found playing with broken glass (had broken a bowl thing on a table in a relative's house -I had thought it was plastic!), given herself a dose of Calpol (she was nearly 7 - and she spilt it so I thought she had nearly a bottle full). At 10ish knocked over a tall billy bookcase when it was temporarily unattached to the wall (and had been told to keep out of the room, it destroyed a table football game) ...she also 'ran away' with a friend at 5 for 20 mins and has been lost in shops etc countless times ...once at age 3 for 40 mins. (Yes she has aged me!)
All I can think of for DD2 was as a toddler she was discovered under a table sucking on a salt cellar (in a restaurant -at home I kept it out of reach - but then I had found DD1 (6ish) with the cooking salt pot behind the sofa once )...

ThumbWitchesAbroad · 31/01/2017 09:42

Crikey, glad your DD is ok - another one here who didn't know about the inhalation risks of drunk oils. I know about the dangers of essential oils, and about it being a really bad idea to ingest petroleum-based oils - but not the associated suffocation risk!

Really quite shocked about that, tbh.

Original poster
DesignedForLife · 31/01/2017 09:52

It can't be common advice as 111 told us to give her milk and put her to bed, and took 4 hours to call back, by which time we'd already taken her to A&E. she got assessed within 10 minutes, though had to wait longer to see a doctor. He said we were absolutely right to take her in, and was very surprised she hadn't vomited (which is half the risk, as it can be inhaled from there). Sounds like we will have to keep a close eye on her for a few days. Thank goodness DH has a very understanding boss!

OP posts:
houseRefurb · 31/01/2017 09:52

Thank you so much, OP for sharing it amidst all the stress.
You sure have done a big favour to many of us.

DD is nearly 6 and I had no idea about ingestion of oil being a suffocation hazard. I have in fact, given her drops of Kids-Omega oil and such in the last couple of years. And often have had to coaxe her to take it in. Not once had it crossed my mind to consider ingestion of oil being a suffocation hazard.
I suppose it also depends on the viscosity of the oil. But, a very important point to be mindful of.
I hope your DD is well now and gets better. Be kind to yourself. As everyone here has said, we all go through near-misses of one form of the other.

LadyFlumpalot · 31/01/2017 09:56

I had no idea either, in fact when DS was little he did chug down some baby oil and 111 told me he'd be fine, maybe a runny tummy, but it wasn't dangerous at all Confused Luckily he was fine, feel quite sick myself now though.

cookiefiend · 31/01/2017 10:35

I too consider myself to be quite clued up, but had no idea about this. We don't use baby oil, but have had oilatum in the past so will note that in case we need it again.

There is peppermint essential oil in a cupboard the children often go into. They haven't ever found it, but I shall move it now.

Thanks for letting us know OP. Best wishes for your DD. Hopefully the worst of the risk has passed now.

ThumbWitchesAbroad · 31/01/2017 11:09

Another essential oil to be wary of, which many people might have in their homes, is eucalyptus oil. Keep that well out of reach of small children, it's very dangerous, as is olbas oil
www.dailymail.co.uk/health/article-2518161/Dangers-Olbas-Oil.html (I do hate that it's a DM link, but it's the only one I could find)

Cherylene · 31/01/2017 11:34

Clove oil (which some people use for toothache) is poisonous. Probably better to just go to the dentist.

I had a younger DSis who was a nightmare for this sort of thing (ate elderly great-grandfather's pills and ended up in A&E. Also DM's vallium - only DM just made her sick and hoped for the best - probably a warning tale about taking vallium too Hmm ). She was a PIA for getting into things.

Therefore, everything was locked away /in high cupboard out of sight and out of reach. I had a box for baby toiletries that closed pretty effectively. Even so, DS (a fiddler) managed to get the sudocrem and rub a fair bit of it into the front of his cord dungarees. Fortunately, he never put anything in his mouth (including food, but every cloud has a silver lining Grin).

Even so, if I have ever known about the effects of oils, I had forgotten, so a timely reminder. If I ever get to be a DGM, then I want to be a sensible one where it is safe to bring DGC.

LeopardPrintSocks1 · 31/01/2017 11:47

I wondered why the new baby oil bottles had safety caps on.

Catsick36 · 31/01/2017 11:57

Not the same but my sister got hold of nit lotion by some chair climbing feat, got the lid off and drank it. She was ok. These things do happen sometimes, be thankful she's OK and thanks for educating us.

contractor6 · 31/01/2017 12:01

I looked at baby oil when pregnant and devised not to use it, very glad now, a tip for new mums coconut oil works just as well and smells better

elektrawoman · 31/01/2017 12:13

Designed - so glad to hear DD is fine! You'll have a couple of grey hairs now!
Also brace yourself as after my A&E/Calpol incident, I got a call from the health visitor to talk about what had happened - I think she basically wanted reassurance it was a one-off and was not likely to happen again, I had to talk through what measures I had put in place. You may not get a call, but just so you know if you do it's normal. It was a bit embarrassing having to explain my own stupidity but I guess it's their job to assess these things.
Also thanks for posting, I hadn't realised about inhalation of oils either, and I have read a lot of childcare books.

unlucky83 · 31/01/2017 12:34

Oh yes - yy to the HV call.
I had one after DD2 and the salt incident...(took her to A&E on advice of 111) - it was down as possible salt poisoning - how had she managed to get hold of it etc.
(Worse -I also had to explain why she'd been in A&E a few weeks earlier - on the advice of 111 again -with a 'head injury'...I'd phoned cos she was being sick after having vaccinations earlier that day and mentioned in passing she wasn't having a good day - she'd also bumped her head crawling into a door ...I knew it was a waste of time but once they tell you to go in ...I just don't phone them any more -or try not to...)
Anyway felt like a terrible mother -thought social services would be round any minute - but that was it - heard nothing more about it.

trixymalixy · 31/01/2017 13:14

i had no idea oils were such a risk. Hope your DD is ok OP.

Original poster
DesignedForLife · 31/01/2017 14:26

Ok thanks for the heads up about HV visit. To be honest I'm going to bin the bio oil (never used baby oil) and put all toiletries further out of reach. She's such a pickle. She dialled 999 last week mucking about with our new phone Blush

She's still in hospital under observation, waiting for a chest x-ray. She's doing ok though, so hopefully none got in her lungs.

OP posts:
Olympiathequeen · 31/01/2017 20:52

The real danger occurs if they drink something like this (essential oils particularly) and the stomach tends to reject highly oily scented things, and then vomiting occurs. It is the vomiting and the inhaling simultaneously that causes all the issues.

SecretWitch · 31/01/2017 21:05

Hoping your family will all be back together soon Flowers

When dd was just 18 mos old we found her hiding by the bed with a bottle of baby Tylenol (Calpol) clutched in her hands. I remembered the bottle as being almost full and now it was empty. She and dh ended up in emergency with her eating a nice charcoal/ choc ice cream mix. She had to stay through repeated blood tests until tests showed no acetaminophen in her system.

I was so upset and horrified. I thought I had tucked it back into child proof cabinet after use but clearly had not.

Thank you for warning about baby oil.

SnugglySnerd · 31/01/2017 21:09

This is a very stupid question but would this also apply to cooking oil? All ours is in an accessible low cupboard, now thinking I should move it or put a cupboard lock on it.

Original poster
DesignedForLife · 31/01/2017 21:34

Snuggly- I think so, if it gets in lungs it would coat the bronchioles too I guess. Better safe than sorry.

DD is home now after 24 hours. X-ray was clear but they were also worried about secondary problems in the lungs after absorption through the gut, which I don't understand.

I poured the bio oil away when the got home. DD saw it and said bye bye juice Blush she obviously didn't mind the taste of it. No where on the bottle does it say to keep out of reach of children Angry

OP posts:
ErrolTheDragon · 31/01/2017 22:29

No where on the bottle does it say to keep out of reach of children

You should write to the manufacturer and tell them what happened.

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