“This is how children are accidentally poisoned.”
A paediatrician is urging parents not to follow an “aesthetically pleasing” TikTok trend of putting laundry products in see-through jars.
Dr. Nicole Baldwin MD, a paediatrician in Ohio, uploaded a video to her TikTok account reacting to the trend and warning parents against it.
The original video was posted to an account dedicated to organisation, the likes of which is popular on the social media giant.
In the video, a woman pours detergent and fabric softener into a long jar that looks like a drinking bottle. She then pours coloured scent beads into a large jar.
The bottles look drinkable and the scent beads look like a jar of sweets. All of them have regular, easy-open lids.
Dr. Baldwin pointed out that while it might look “cool” or “aesthetically pleasing,” it’s an extremely dangerous thing to do if there’s children in the household or visiting.
“If you have children, please please please do not do this,” she urged multiple times throughout the video.
“This is how children are accidentally poisoned.”
The Irish Health and Safety Authority say the bright colours of detergent liquids and liquitabs make them attractive to young children who might want to put them in their mouth or play with them.
If the liquid gets on the child’s hands, it could irritate their skin or hands and lead to rashes, conjunctivitis and chemical burns.
If ingested, a child could suffer from severe vomiting and nausea, coughing, respiratory disorders and drowsiness.
All laundry products must therefore be sold in containers that have “a closure that will impede the ability of a young child to open it, requiring the coordination of two hands and with a strength that makes it difficult for a young child to open it.”
In other words, the complete opposite of the containers the woman in the video swapped the original packaging for.
Watch Dr. Baldwin’s reaction here:
@drnicolebaldwin##duet with @im2organized Not sure what parent has TIME to do this – but just don’t. ##childsafety ##pediatrician ##pediatricianreacts ##drbaldwinsays
