Don't allow poison to ruin your happy holiday

Christmas is a magical time; just ask the toddler taking in a fully-decorated Christmas tree or home illuminated with thousands of twinkle lights.

What a shame, then, that without special care, that same youngster can be vulnerable to all sorts of dangers during the holiday season.

Excited children and harried parents are a bad combination, according to the Nebraska Regional Poison Center, which notes that common calls to the center during the holiday season concern cigarettes, disc batteries, food poisoning, holiday plants and ingestion of guests' medications by young children.

Those same colorful lights, decorations and toys might prove lethal without special care.

The center makes the following recommendations.

* Be careful using bubble lights, angel hair, snow sprays and fireplace color crystals.

* Keep hazardous plants, decorations, medications and gifts out of the reach of small children or pets.

* Clean up immediately following all holiday parties so that alcohol and other potentially harmful items are not within reach of young children. Children often imitate adults, and they will drink partially-filled glasses regardless of the contents.

* Keep safety in mind when shopping for toys. Check age recommendations for toys and refer to the Consumer Product Safety Commmission for toys on the recalled toys list (www.cpsc.gov).

* Be cautious of toys purchased at deep discount stores, street fairs, vending machines, thrift stores or yard sales.

* Beware of toys containing small magnets, cheap metal jewelry and any toy that can be broken into small pieces and cause a choking hazard.

* Certain Christmas tree light cords contain warnings of lead toxicity on them. Older artificial Christmas trees may contain small amounts of lead. It is reasonable to wash your hands after handling these cords and trees and keep them out of the hands of children.

* Post the telephone number of the Nebraska Regional Poison Center and your family physician near the phone.

* If you suspect a poisoning has occurred, call the Nebraska Regional Poison Center by calling (800) 222-1222 or (402) 955-5555 in the Omaha metropolitan area.

Don't let an accidental poisoning turn your happy holiday into a crisis.