Toxic Plants + Toddlers = Danger!
by Martha Ogburn RN, MS
My first son was born on August 9th –in the humid, heat of the summer. When spring finally rolled around the next year, I couldn’t wait to take our toddling explorer outside. I was excited for him to experience the wonders of the great outdoors first hand. So, with camera in hand, his father and I were ready to record this first outing.
Once outside, our little one headed straight for the daffodils which were bursting with vibrant, yellow colors. We watched with pride, pondering our son’s appreciation for nature’s beauty at such a young age. Quickly, we snapped a picture of him with a daffodil in his mouth.
Days later, as we shared our photos of him with a friend, her remark caught me off guard. ”You know,” she began, “that flower he’s gnawing on is poisonous.”
I was aghast. I had worked so hard to protect him from dangers inside the house yet had completely missed the potential toxins in our own back yard. After doing a bit of research, I discovered a host of other common, but dangerous plants. As a general guide, any plant with a strong smell, milky sap, red berries or self-sown seed could be poisonous and is best treated as risky. It’s best to fence off or remove any suspect plants until the child is old enough to learn not to eat strange plants, usually at around the age of three. It’s one thing to encourage gardening, it’s another one to allow your little one to think that the backyard is one, gigantic salad.
The following is a list of toxic plants which every parent should be aware:
- English ivies, grown indoors and out, have leaves which are poisonous. If ingested, symptoms could include breathing difficulty, convulsions, vomiting, paralysis and a coma. Similar symptoms can develop if the leaves and buds of a Hydrangea are consumed.
- A Jerusalem-Cherry is a nursery plant that is often brought home by consumers. Despite its enticing colors, the fruit and the leaves are poisonous and will cause abdominal pains and vomiting.
- Berried ornamental shrubs like pyracantha, cotton easter, barberry, coral berry and yew should all be kept away from children. And rhododendrons, azaleas, boxwood, marguerite daisies, lantana and common privet are just a few of the many ornamentals that have toxic parts. Chrysanthemums can be deadly to a toddler.
- Even some vegetable plants have toxic parts. The leaves of potato, tomato and rhubarb never should be eaten. Seed pits of almond, apple, apricot, cherry, peach, pear and plum will make one ill if consumed.
- Toxic house plants should be kept out of a child's reach as well. Dangerous ones include aloe vera, philodendron, ficus, spathiphyllum, and dieffenbachia, to name a few.
