How angry should i be?

[Cherry85]

Our 3 yr old has just got hold of a paracetamol (possibly a caffeine, paracetamol and phenylephrine) tablet and put it in his mouth - luckily I was there and fished it out.

This may seem like a small issue - but DH regularly takes pills out the foil, forgets to take them and leaves them 'somewhere safe' like in the coffee table drawer or on a shelf he thinks is out of reach. I have regularly told him this has to stop but he is so casual about it.

I am absolutely fuming - if I had had to take our child to hospital I wouldn't even be able to say confidently what sort of pill it was as there was no box nearby. I don't even know what the consequences would have been at the hospital for this.

What would your reaction be? Would I be unreasonable to tell him if it happens again he is going to stay at his parents? I am so scared of what could have happened (although I may he overreacting as also don't actually know what the consequences would be so thinking the worst.)

Since this happened an hour ago I have found another one lying beside our wardrobe on the floor.

This is not a small issue! If it happened one time I could forgive, twice then you are on VERY shaky ground, a third time you’d be out the door. Your partner has been a parent for 3 years ffs, absolutely no excuse for repeated absolute stupidity!

I am proper proper slack. Untidy. Very laid back about what kids get up to. Go with the flow. But if I even dropped a tablet I'd be crawling around on my hands and knees until I found it. I would never leave one lying around.

Paracetamol overdose can cause irreversible liver damage. And if you have a cat, it would die very quickly as it's highly toxic.

There is sloppy, and there is plain wilful neglect.

LTB.

I would be so angry, more than angry especially as its a regular thing, once is a mistake (that you would hopefully be kicking yourself for and learn your lesson to not do it again) to do it regularly is just disgusting and dangerous, I would honestly hit the roof after such a close call after the pervious discussions about it, these pills are strong enough to kill a small child, its nothing to be 'casual' about.

I don't even know what to suggest, take the child to stay somewhere else until he can learn to be safe, a locked medicine cupboard in the bathroom so they can't be just left randomly across the house (not that you should have to do this for a fully grown man) chuck out anything that isn't he isn't medically dependant on, if he can't be sensible with it then he shouldn't have it in the the house.

I'm angry for you OP, I bet you shit yourself when you realised what your child had in their mouth, id be shook up.

I could understand if your DC had suddenly become mobile, we all had those 'oh shit they can reach here now' moments, but at 3, chances are they have been wandering around and climbing for a good while now.
Add in the fact that this has been mentioned to him before and he really is coming across as knob of the highest order.
I think very angry would be completely justified.

I would be beyond furious. Dying from paracetamol poisoning is slow and miserable and can happen even after there has been an apparent initial recovery.

Get a lockable medicines box and store it in the top of a wardrobe for instance - well out of reach. Keep the key. You then issue OH with his tablets - as if he were a child.

If he behaves like a child, then treat him like one.

He needs a kick up his arse! Needs to book his idea up sharpish!

An adult shouldn't need reminding to keep medicine and pills out of reach of children!

Is he a bit simple? YANBU - I'd go up the wall.

Is he thick? Does he give a shit about his dc?

I would Phone his parents and tell them he needs to stay there for a while and explain to them why, I'm sure if they are at all reasonable people they will be furious with him as well.

Then I would take my child to A&E because you just can not know if your child has swallowed anything prior to you finding them with the one you saw.

Sorry but this is divorce territory imo.

My little brother got into a bottle of aspirin once - even though it was in a childproof bottle, in a high cupboard my mother thought was out of reach but he climbed up furniture. She found him playing with the bottle, had no idea if he'd eaten any or not. Rang the GP who said she had to take him to A&E immediately. A&E gave him stuff to make him vomit. Fortunately there was no aspirin in his system, but the whole thing was terrifying and immensely stressful for everyone. And to cap it all off, the hospital notified social services who then came round to visit and check out the house.

*You then issue OH with his tablets - as if he were a child.

If he behaves like a child, then treat him like one*

Great. So OH is an irresponsible idiot and instead of getting any sanction for it he gets to still be irresponsible while OP has one more job she has to remember to do every day.

I'd be furious in these circumstances, its medication for heavens sake not sweets.

We've always kept our meds in a plastic tub in the highest part of the larder.
Emtpy nesters now and still do it.

He is knowingly regularly endangering your child’s life. I’d not only divorce him, I would go for full custody and court to ensure it in order to protect my child.

The point is that he will get the message, not that this is a long term solution. The long term solution is to kick him out of course.

Put them all in a lock box so he has to ask you for the code amd then watch him take them. If he wants to behaviour like a child then treat him like one

Apart from his casual attitude to doing something so dangerous, repeatedly, what is going on in his head that he “forgets” and then puts the tablet somewhere stupid?
No way do you take the tablet out of the pack and forget to take it. You take it from the pack and take it immediately. The tablet you described isn’t a prescription med, that you have to take daily. It’s something you’d take if you have a cold or flu. You take it straight away, because you need it, or not at all. If for some reason you decide to take it later instead, you put it back in the pack and back in the cupboard. NOBODY puts a tablet in the coffee table drawer or on a shelf. That’s not only unsafe, it’s more difficult than putting it away again. There’s just no reason.

There is something very wrong with his thinking. He honestly sounds like an old person who’s developing cognitive impairment and starting to do weird things.

I have regularly told him this has to stop but he is so casual about it

That 'getting the message' seems not to have worked to date. It's much more likely he'll shrug and tell himself that as OP is taking responsibility, he doesn't need to bother remembering.

I nearly died of fright when I discovered the dogs had somehow got hold of my blood thinners and chewed up the contents! I found almost all of the pills but I’d never make that mistake again. Your Dh needs a serious discussion.

Beyond angry. He's dangerous to live in the same house as a child. What an almighty fuckwit.

Even my teens know that they must never leave anything like that on a floor/low surface as the dog could eat it and die.

Can your twat of a dh read? The bit where it says keep out of reach of children? I would be so angry.

Paracetamol can kill, and 2 x 500mg tablet would be well above the allowed amount for a small child so worst case coudl be your biggest fears. Your parent is not responsible enough to be a parent, if you did have to take your child to hospital I reckon SS would be all over yer ass!! He needs to go and do some serious growing up, how would ge live with himself of something happened to your child?

YANBU at all. Dickheads need drastic.

I would be furious beyond belief I have to agree it would be a deal breaker for me, because he keeps doing this do you think he’s just plain stupid or is there a ulterior motive here? This would scare me tbh. And no I’m not joking unfortunately.