by Claudia Boyd-Barrett posted in Mom Stories

They may be convenient, but those small, colorful soap packets are responsible for a sharp rise in calls to poison control centers involving young children.
A new study published in the journal Pediatrics has found that laundry detergent packets are poisoning a growing number of children under age 6. Not only that, children poisoned by the detergent packets are more likely to be hospitalized and suffer serious medical consequences than kids exposed to other forms of detergent, researchers discovered.
The study analyzed nearly 63,000 calls to poison control centers nationwide between 2013 and 2014 involving exposure of children under 6 to laundry and dishwasher detergent. Calls involving laundry detergent packets increased by 17 percent over that time period, and made up the majority of calls ? about one call every 45 minutes, researchers found.
Most of the children ate the laundry detergent packets, which were frequently left within sight of the child, in an unlocked cabinet, or briefly unattended by a distracted caregiver. Children under age 3 made up most of the cases, likely because they spend more time at home and are eager to explore their world.
Almost half of the children exposed to laundry detergent packets ended up in a health care facility ? significantly more than the children exposed to other types of detergents. Children exposed to the packets also suffered the most serious health consequences, which included com...