Would you have gone back to A n E? Also, I'm an idiot

[HeisenbergMum]

Ds 3 got hold of a laundry detergent capsule today. It burst in his hands and squirted in his face. Quite a bit seemed to go into his eyes. We washed his eyes but as per the advice on thr packaging I also took him to A n E, where they washed out his eyes after confirming that there was still detergent in them. The eye irrigation was horrible (though the staff were incredibly kind) but it was all done fairly quickly and they sent us home again. Ds fell asleep in the car and we just put him to bed.

Anyway, then dh asked me if I told them that he might have ingested some as he had seen him lick his lips and some might have run into his mouth as well. I hadn't. I can't believe I went all the way to A n E and didn't ask them about ingestion. Ds was happily sleeping so we couldn't make up our mind whether to take him back or not. Finally called 111. Got a call back from a doctor about an hour later. She went through all possible symptoms and he doesn't have any of them. Then she said tje advice is that if the incident happened in thr last 2 hours you should go to A n E but if it's more than that you should wait and monitor at home. At this point it was 4.5h.

So I didn't go. I'm still very worried though. And I feel so guilty for 1. Leaving a laundry cap lying about and 2. For not asking this question at a n e. He seems fine but what if he did ingest some and it is quietly corroding his insides?

Uggh self indulgent rant following: .I just hate the constant uncertainty and worrying about the kids and constantly having to assess and decide what is the best course of action. And I hate that i make so many mistakes. Especially when thr stakes are so high and it concerns the health of the kids.

I think you've made the right call. Keep an eye on him but I bet he'll be just fine.
I just hate the constant uncertainty and worrying about the kids and constantly having to assess and decide what is the best course of action
Totally agree with this. Whenever my daughter is unwell I feel uncertain, is it GP worthy, do I call 111 etc when is ill more than just ill. I feel you! Hope you all have a good night.

How did he get a laundry detergent capsule in his hands unattended? Sorry I know it’s not the point of that post and I’m sure you have went over that in your head but it’s actually lucky that it had only squirted in his face and he didn’t try to eat it. It’s really serious.

jf you this many hours on and he’s not being sick or complaining of a terrible stomach then I don’t think I’d worry about ingestion and trust the 111

I would've thought that if there were any concerns about the contents silently corroding his digestive tract that the doc you spoke to would've had you back to A&E ASAP. I would imagine the tiny amount he might've ingested from licking it off his lips is unlikely to do any harm.

Doesn’t sound like he could have swallowed enough to cause a significant problem (you may see some interesting poos) and you’d know by now if he’d inhaled it.

I don’t think that’s very helpful, can’t you judge from the OP that they are anxious and genuinely feeling remorse? OP I think you have done all the right things, just keep a close eye and be prepared to go back to A&E if you are worried.
Parenting is such a responsibility, we are only human and all make mistakes. Please try not to heat yourself up too much, I am sure it will all turn out OK.

To be honest I would have thought you would have been asked this question at a&e in the circumstances.
As they didn't ask, I would assume that from your description of the incident, they made the decision that your DS hadn't swallowed enough to be a concern.
I suspect problems arise when a child has actually had the pod in their mouths/eaten it.

And I think every parent ever questions themselves continuously when it comes to their children. You're not alone.

Thank you!!

It's just that the stakes are so high. What if you get it wrong? I almost didn't go to A n E today to get his eyes looked at. We had washed them immediately and ds said it didn't burn anymore. I only went to A n E because it said on the packaging that it can cause serious eye damage. I was sure that they'd just have a quick look at it and then send us home (after a long wait because we were obviously non priority). But nope. They tested the ph of his eyes and found that both of them had very elevated levels and so had to be irrigated again. I shudder to think what damage it might have caused if I hadn't gone to a n e.

So what if I get it wrong the next time? I just don't trust my judgement. And then like an idiot I forgot to ask about ingestion.

My DS is now 19 but when he was 2 he went running around my parents garden. My dad has been weedkilling, my DS went running over they played ball and it slipped my dad's mind he left weedkiller on the floor. An hour later my DS picked the bottle up and sprayed it in his face. Off to A and E. A and E checked him over and said no need to do anything else as he appeared fine and the concentrations in shop stuff wasn't high enough unless he drunk the bottle.
We all felt guilty for months but was a wake up call that kids are into everything.
Don't be hard yourself. Things happen.

Good question and the answer will make me sound even worse. I was applying sun screen on him in the utility room and usually I keep all detergents out of reach but I must have left one of the capsules on rhe counter where he can reach. The utility room is always a mess and the coubter is full of clothes. Rhe whole house is a mess and just an accident (or a 100) waiting to happen.

Ds actually showed me The capsule. He asked me what is that and I absent mindedly told him it's for washing laundry. I don't understand why at that point I didn't put it away. Next thing I know is that it burst into his face. I've got adhd and can be very absent minded but That's not an excuse. I mean even if there is a reason when it comes to your kids you just need to do better, right? Or not have kids. 😢

The doctor / nurse at a n e said this is a very common accident to happen and happens all the time but I think she was just trying to be nice.

Op, I don't think A&E were just being nice, the manufacturers seem to go out of their way to make detergent capsules look colourful and tactile, I bet it happens ALL THE TIME 😊

So full resolution to keep all detergents safely out of reach (which shouldn't be too difficult) and keep rhe house a bit tidier (which is very difficult) but there are just so many things thst could be a risk to a toddler. He's almost 4 and rarely puts anythinf in his mouth and I thought he was safe around most toys with a lower age rating of 3 for being a choking hazard but the other day he was happily chewing on a lego block and refused to let it go.

We had a back Nurse who works in paediatric A&E with us today. We were chatting about washing capsules and he said they are rarely ingested as they taste horrible. So hopefully your little one hasn’t had any. I’d have also stayed at home.

I love handling them as an adult. So totally get why kids would.

Thanks all for being so nice about it. I am trying to tell myself that it was a good and timely wake up call but I'm still worried about both his eyes and his gi tract and also how many hazards can I wake up to especially when I've got a history of being careless and forgetful.

Was that really necessary? Can you not read from the post that OP is beating themselves up about that already? Jeez, read the room! op - I’m sure all will be fine, keep an eye for what they told you and be kind to yourself.

I'm pretty sure he didn't swallow or lick any on purpose. It's just that it was all over his face and he licked his lips and some might have run into his mouth when I was trying to wash his face ( he was crying and screaming at this point).

The 111 doctor asked me to check his mouth abd throat for redness. There didn't seem to be any but it was pretty difficult to check because he was so sleepy and wouldn't open his mouth properly

Thanks but it's really OK. I don't think the poster means to be harsh and it's a good exercise to think about what happened and think about how to avoid it in the future.

I did consider posting in aibu for some tough love but I don't think I'm feeling that tough at the moment. This is fine and you are all much kinder than I deserve. I have always loved the parenting board because everyone is so understanding and genuinely helpful. Mumsnet at its best. 💜

Tbh I don’t think I’d have gone to A&E in the first place, which sounds like was necessary in the end, I thank you for sharing - I’ve learnt something new and really helpful from your post!
also I suppose that’s the point of 111 - they’re best placed to advise on where/when to seek medical attention and are usually (in my experience) over cautious so you can only listen to their advice. If you’re still anxious you could always try calling again and see if the advice is the same!

Ditch your own guilt, I'm wondering if I'm a terrible parent. My 2 year old loves helping with the laundry. Loading up the machine. Taking the laundry capsule from me and putting it into the drum. Turning the dial and pressing go.

I do worry about her damaging the capsule and getting it in her face, but ... she's used to handling them now. I've warned her she mustn't squeeze them and they go straight from the box into the drum.

But maybe I'm still insane.

I dunno. You can't protect them from every risk while letting them learn.

I'm glad your son is okay.

I dont know why they design them like they do even im tempted to bite into it

If it makes you feel a bit better OP Harry and Izzy Judd (from McFly) 3 year old son had this exact same thing happen. His mum Izzy had turned her back for a second and he got hold of a pod. It could happen to any of us. I hope your little one is fine in the morning.

It does happen all the time. That is why there is warning all over the packaging and even ads on tv. They look very appealing to children

Actually I did read the room - and that is exactly why I asked the question I did as to how he managed to get one in his hands. I agree with you that it’s clear the OP is beating themself up and clearly has anxiety related to it - I didn’t ask it to make them feel worse or to judge them, it was a genuine question to understand how it happened, particularly when there is so much security already to try and deter children from accessing these with child locks etc. so we could perhaps help or offer suggestions on how to help avoid it again! Particularly as the OP was so upset and anxious about how they let their dc get into the situation.

@HeisenbergMumI’m glad you took my reply the way it was intended! It sounds like you handled everything really well and there is always going to be hazards so it’s a tricky one!

God I hope I don’t know you in real life