While using baby powders has become the norm, it could possibly lead to some accidents like your baby chugging down a handful. Usually, baby powder is harmless and if accidentally consumed, it shouldn’t do any harm unless there is an allergic reaction or the powder contains talcum.
If your baby ate some baby powder, instead of panicking, check if the baby is showing any signs of choking, coughing, or any type of discomfort. If so, immediately contact the emergency ward or a poison center. However, if not, then relax, there’s nothing to worry about. Just clean the baby’s mouth.
But for your baby’s own safety, you should know a bit more about what to do if your baby ate baby powder. That’s why through deep research I have included many pieces of information related to your baby’s safety and some precautions so that you could avoid this type of accident from happening again in the future.
Is Baby Powder Toxic?
In general, baby powder is considered safe and pleasant to use. Baby powder preserves the softness and smoothness of your baby’s skin, if not, makes it better. Baby powder also prevents diaper rash as well as protects the baby’s buttocks from rashes.
Depending on the central component of your baby powder, you can tell if it’s safe to inhale or not. There’s plenty of baby powder types like cornstarch, talc, baking soda based, etc. Among them, talcum powder is not safe to inhale. It can be poisonous if inhaled or consumed in a significantly large amount.
If your baby powder has talc, then without wasting any time call the poison control center. Talcum is so dangerous that even if only inhaled, it can poison the body inside. There are some symptoms such as blue blisters, eyes burning, coughing, and many more. It is best to not use talc-based baby powder.
For all these reasons, pedestrians recommend using cornstarch-based baby powder. It makes the skin smooth as well as soothes the skin. In fact, cornstarch-based baby powders are safe to inhale or even consume.
Unless your baby has an allergic reaction to the components of the powder, baby powder is completely safe to use. And numerous pedestrians all over the world advise using baby powder on the baby.
What to Do If Your Baby Ate Baby Powder?
Most baby powder products are harmless to swallow but if in the case of a handful of powder, there might be some choking issues. If the baby powder contains talcum powder, poisoning can occur. In this case, it is recommended to immediately take the baby to a poison control center or the nearest emergency ward.
However, if this is not the case then lookout for any signs of discomfort. If your baby ate baby powder, without panicking immediately check if the baby is showing any of these signs-
- Choking: If you notice your baby is gasping for air but is unable to cry or even cough, chances are the baby is choking. Immediately lay the baby’s face down on your arm, using your lap for support. After that, put one hand on the baby’s chest and keep its mouth open with your fingers.
With your other hand, give some forceful blows to the baby’s shoulder. This should let the powder out properly.
- Coughing: If you see your baby coughing with eyes rolling right after swallowing the powder (also read Does baby powder expire), call the emergency ward immediately. You should not wait for a moment.
- Flushed face: A cute little blush on your baby’s face is cute normally but not in this case. If you see your baby suddenly having rosy cheeks after eating powder, the baby is actually in discomfort. Notice these little signs carefully.
- Red patches appearing: The sudden red patches are a sign of poisoning. Without panicking, take the baby to a doctor as soon as possible.
- Gasping for air: This is a sign of choking, follow the steps mentioned previously to help you baby.
Contact the poison center as well as an emergency ward if you see any of the mentioned signs. However, if the baby doesn’t show these signs, then luckily for you, there is nothing to worry about. Just wash the baby’s mouth gently and keep an eye on the baby.
How to Prevent Baby Swallowing Baby Powder?
Prevention is better than cure, am I right? This should be a motto in parenthood especially while taking care of a baby. No one wants their baby to swallow foreign objects whether it’s harmful or not. While baby powder in general is not harmful to swallow, a mouthful can choke your baby pretty badly.
It’s your duty as a parent to prevent this kind of accident from happening again. And we are here to help you with that. By just following some simple methods, you can easily safeguard your baby from consuming foreign kinds of stuff.
The best way to prevent babies from swallowing baby powder or any other baby product is to keep them out of their reach. But how do you do that? Just simply keep them in higher cabinets or keep the products locked on your dressing table. In other words, keep these items as far as possible.
While applying baby powder on the baby, you need to make sure that you pour the powder on your hands at first, instead of pouring it on the baby’s body directly, especially on the baby’s face. When applying to the genitals and buttocks, apply using a small piece of cloth, and pat the powder well. Don’t rub in a rough way or with an extra force as it can cause unwanted rashes.
Stay extra careful while applying on the face. The face is sensitive in general. Your baby may giggle or smile because he or she may feel ticklish. So no matter how cute they look, don’t get carried away or distracted while applying the power! Apply the baby powder using a round-like motion with your hands and avoid the eye area.
And if some accidentally get inside the baby’s mouth, immediately clean his or her mouth.
Precautions on Using Baby Powder
Baby powder is used worldwide and considered to be safe to be used by pedestrians. But still, it’s better to stay extra cautious while dealing with babies. Better safe than sorry, right? So, without further ado, let’s take a look at some of the precautionary measures advised by some of the leading experts-
- Avoid using talc baby powder. Instead, use cornstarch-based baby powder.
- Always contact your local pedestrian before trying out new products as the baby’s skin is more sensitive.
- Keep powder away from the baby’s eyes and ears.
- Use a clean piece of cloth or puff to apply powder on the baby’s genitals and buttocks.
- Keep all products that contain chemicals away from the baby’s reach.
Conclusion
I really hope this article came to your aid in clearing the confusion about “What to Do If Your Baby Ate Baby Powder?”. If the baby powder does not contain talc and the baby shows no sign of discomfort or unusual behavior, then there’s nothing to worry about, just simply clean the baby’s mouth.
However, if the powder contains talc or the baby is gasping for air or showing any kind of discomfort, immediately contact the poison control center. I sincerely wish a healthy and happy life for you and your baby. Thank you for reading!
