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[Rajack]

http://www.huffingtonpost.com/2013/...-pod_n_3764770.html?ncid=edlinkusaolp00000009

MIAMI -- A 7-month-old Florida boy has died after swallowing a candy-colored liquid laundry packet, raising concerns about the access that young children have to the increasingly popular products.

The Florida Poison Information Center says the boy's death may be the first in the U.S. involving young children who were exposed to chemicals in concentrated laundry packets since May 2012, when the center first received an exposure report. The center says it has received almost 300 exposure reports so far this year.

"With young children, any household product is likely to end up in their mouth," said Dr. Cynthia Lewis-Younger, the center's medical director. Most exposures in Florida involved children tasting or licking the concentrated liquid packets, which don't cause children to become seriously ill.

"Parents know that things in the house can be dangerous and they call for advice. And (in) many of those cases we can reassure parents," she said.

The American Association of Poison Control Centers said national data for this year had not yet been compiled, but that this kind of poisoning death had not been reported in prior years.

Sad story. The lesson to be learned from this tragedy is to keep this stuff up and out of their reach or keep it locked away, preferably both.

 

[smoothj]

The pods look like a toy.. damn that's sad.

 

[ComputerMKII]

Don't leave your kids without surveillance, not even one second.

 

[.GqueB.]

I've seen those things. They look like candy.

 

[dark10x]

Don't leave your kids without surveillance, not even one second.

That's virtually impossible.

 

[Symphonia]

Don't leave your kids without surveillance, not even one second.

Are you a parent?

 

[AbsolutBro]

Why was this stuff in reach of a 7month old? They're what, crawling? Maybe, MAYBE, toddling at 7 months?

 

[mrklaw]

That's virtually impossible.

Are you a parent?

true, but the laundry cupboard (or any cupboard with chemicals) should have a child latch on it until they're old enough to understand not to go in there.

 

[RoadDogg]

7 months is an infant, not a toddler. But that isn't the point. These things need to be put in containers with child proof lids. And parents need to not be morons and put them out of reach of small children. And children need to not be stupid and spit things out if they taste gross.

 

[Somnid]

I file this under the "Yup, occasionally children do stupid things and perish as a result. It's fairly natural. Better luck next time" category. Though considering how bitter it must have been I'm surprised it ingested enough of it to become a major problem.

 

[Manmademan]

true, but the laundry cupboard (or any cupboard with chemicals) should have a child latch on it until they're old enough to understand not to go in there.

I saw another link with this story that seemed to say the parent had the laundry pod in a basket on the floor with the laundry within easy reach of the kid, though I don't see that detail in this article.

THAT'S just negligence. I have a 16 month old and she would eat literally anything in range. keeping a brightly colored pack of poison within easy reach is beyond stupid.

 

[dark10x]

true, but the laundry cupboard (or any cupboard with chemicals) should have a child latch on it until they're old enough to understand not to go in there.

Oh, absolutely. You have to be cautious with such things but there is no way in hell that you can keep an eye on your child 100% of the time (nor should you).

 

[David H Wong]

I file this under the "Yup, occasionally children do stupid things and perish as a result. It's fairly natural. Better luck next time" category.

"Look how edgy I am! I can pretend to have no human empathy and can say things only a sociopath would say!"

 

[AlexMogil]

Some of raising small children is luck. Sorry to say that. No one is on their game 100% 25/8. If you raise a kid to graduate high school you've had a little bit of luck on your side, you just didn't know it. Prevention increases luck, but it is still luck/fate/karma/whatever.

Really tragic circumstance for everyone involved in this story.

 

[styl3s]

I saw another link with this story that seemed to say the parent had the laundry pod in a basket on the floor with the laundry within easy reach of the kid, though I don't see that detail in this article.

THAT'S just negligence. I have a 16 month old and she would eat literally anything in range. keeping a brightly colored pack of poison within easy reach is beyond stupid.

Sometimes you forget or accidentally leave something somewhere you shouldn't. A parent can't be superman 24/7. Adults get tired, especially when dealing with babies/kids. It's not always pure negligence, sometimes it's just a accident.

Some of raising small children is luck. Sorry to say that. No one is on their game 100% 25/8. If you raise a kid to graduate high school you've had a little bit of luck on your side, you just didn't know it. Prevention increases luck, but it is still luck/fate/karma/whatever.

Really tragic circumstance for everyone involved in this story.

Exactly. It's not always bad parenting or negligence, people are always ready with pitchforks to kill the parents over something that could of just been a fluke, an accident. A freak accident. You can't always blame the parents.

It's like when a kid shoots up a school, you can't read your kids fucking mind. Sociopaths can present themselves as sane, normal people. Contrary to belief parents don't have this sixth sense where they can read their kids minds 24/7.

 

[Manmademan]

Sometimes you forget or accidentally leave something somewhere you shouldn't. A parent can't be superman 24/7. Adults get tired, especially when dealing with babies/kids. It's not always pure negligence, sometimes it's just a accident.
.

not at all. You have a kid around, you take the appropriate measures to not leave things that can kill them in easy reach, especially at that age. at 7 months, most are crawling, some are even walking. (I have a friend whose kid was walking at 7 months. crazy stuff.)

in my house, everything cabinet level has a safety lock, so she can't get in there, cleaning supplies or not. poisonous items are left in areas where the baby doesn't go- automotive shit stays in the garage in cabinets, cleaning supplies are locked in the bathroom or basement areas, etc.

leaving things that are easily swallowed and/or harmful at ground level when you have a crawler/walker is just negligent. it didn't have to be poisonous laundry detergent. it could have been a sharp knife, could have been magnets, could have been loose change. Small kids love to explore, and will eat and chew on anything regardless of how it "tastes." so if it can be swallowed or eaten KEEP IT OFF THE FLOOR.

I found the quote I was looking for:

According to the Orlando Sentinel, the mother was staying at a battered women’s shelter, which had given out the pods for use by residents. She placed them in a laundry basket on the bed next to where her son was sleeping, and stepped away only for a moment.

yeah, no. This is stupidity. Let me put brightly colored poison in the bed where the kid is sleeping, and then leave the area. What do you think was going to happen?

 

[Winterfang]

"Look how edgy I am! I can pretend to have no human empathy and can say things only a sociopath would say!"

Better than stupid puns and "awards". The better luck next part was a bit too much though.

 

[Somnid]

"Look how edgy I am! I can pretend to have no human empathy and can say things only a sociopath would say!"

I didn't fed the child a laundry pod just to see it die. Rather, child death is common and should be accepted. Already we're going after Tide or who ever because obviously they contributed to the bright coloring and delicious taste or the parents surely must have been awful people who need to be sterilized and locked up. Accidents happen, children eat things, nobody necessarily needs to be brought to justice and perhaps there isn't even much to be learned.

 

[Manmademan]

I didn't fed the child a laundry pod just to see it die. Rather, child death is common and should be accepted. Already we're going after Tide or who ever because obviously they contributed to the bright coloring and delicious taste or the parents surely must have been awful people who need to be sterilized and locked up. Accidents happen, children eat things, and nobody needs to be brought to justice and perhaps there isn't even much to be learned.

given the situation, the laundry pod would have been eaten, brightly colored or not. I don't really see tide as being at fault here.

that being said, stating that "hey, child death just happens, accept it" is fucked up and shows a lack of empathy. people getting killed by drunk drivers "just happens" too, but no one in their right mind just tells someone to "accept it, because it happens."

these things are preventable, it's definitely tragic, and others should take notice to prevent it from happening to them.

 

[battousai11]

what an unfortunate event. The mother shouldn't have left the laundry basket there, but seriously, the child was asleep. She must be devastated.

 

[Somnid]

given the situation, the laundry pod would have been eaten, brightly colored or not. I don't really see tide as being at fault here.

that being said, stating that "hey, child death just happens, accept it" is fucked up and shows a lack of empathy. people getting killed by drunk drivers "just happens" too, but no one in their right mind just tells someone to "accept it, because it happens."

Sure, very small lapses in judgement can have dire consequences. A VP at my fiancee's work was crushed by a semi while biking to work 2 days ago because the driver failed to yield to a bicycle. There's a high chance he knew it was the law, maybe he was distracted, in a hurry or didn't see him for some reason. Maybe if the biker wasn't going fast he could have braked in time. Doesn't matter now, he's dead and the driver will lose his job and the city may pursue manslaughter charges against him. I'm sure he feels bad, I'm sure he didn't want to do it, I'm sure if he's driving he'll make double damn sure there are no bikes. But what's done is done and no amount of outrage genuine or manufactured changes that and certainly I don't think punishing him is going to make people always yield to bicyclists or even really make them take note.

I'd be lying if I said I had any emotional reaction to the child, I don't know any of the people involved and that's no different then not being emotionally attached to anyone in Egypt that was killed over the past few days. I'm not going to go up to the parents and tell them "well it's a shame your baby was stupid" but given the fact that I have the luxury of being an objective observer perhaps it's best to take that side.

these things are preventable, it's definitely tragic, and others should take notice to prevent it from happening to them.

So what you're saying is "better luck next time."

 

[Manmademan]

So what you're saying is "better luck next time."

No one in their right mind would get "better luck next time" out of what I wrote. Do you have mental issues?

I'd be lying if I said I had any emotional reaction to the child, I don't know any of the people involved and that's no different then not being emotionally attached to anyone in Egypt that was killed over the past few days. I'm not going to go up to the parents and tell them "well it's a shame your baby was stupid" but given the fact that I have the luxury of being an objective observer perhaps it's best to take that side.

oh, apparently you do.

what an unfortunate event. The mother shouldn't have left the laundry basket there, but seriously, the child was asleep. She must be devastated.

asleep isn't really an excuse. After reading this, I was thinking about the hell I would catch if I left my daughter asleep next to packets of poisonous laundry detergent and my wife found out. I almost had a panic attack. Not having the kid eating it, but just finding out I was that stupid. I would be divorced on the spot, because it's such a mind numbingly stupid thing to do. Getting killed in a car accident you had nothing to do with is one thing. Getting killed because you were texting and driving, but "only for a moment" is something entirely different. This is the level of negligence we're looking at here.

 

[jon bones]

tragic :/

Don't leave your kids without surveillance, not even one second.

you seem to know less and less with every post

 

[Neuromancer]

I file this under the "Yup, occasionally children do stupid things and perish as a result. It's fairly natural. Better luck next time" category. Though considering how bitter it must have been I'm surprised it ingested enough of it to become a major problem.

What the fuck. The kid's 7 months old. Putting things into their mouths is how they learn about the world. Also those things are coated in some kind of degradable plastic, it probably didn't taste like anything.

 

[Darklord]

Don't leave your kids without surveillance, not even one second.

More like baby proof your home before you have a baby. Everything like those pods should be impossible to reach.

 

[Manmademan]

More like baby proof your home before you have a baby. Everything like those pods should be impossible to reach.

exactly. this is what I was getting at. This woman is in a shelter, so baby proofing the home might not exactly be an option for her.

but putting it IN THE BED, then LEAVING THE KID ALONE is "no sympathy" territory. this is a tragic event and should never happen to a child, but this was not an "accident that could happen to anyone." this was clear negligence on the parent's part. Prosecuting her is probably pointless, but if a babysitter did this to my kid you can bet your ass she'd be in jail.

 

[andthebeatgoeson]

Some of raising small children is luck. Sorry to say that. No one is on their game 100% 25/8. If you raise a kid to graduate high school you've had a little bit of luck on your side, you just didn't know it. Prevention increases luck, but it is still luck/fate/karma/whatever.

Really tragic circumstance for everyone involved in this story.

Pretty much. We have some household cleaner elevated, the rest has a child proof lock. The 9 year old is forgetful, the wide doesn't focus on these safety issues like I do and people visit the house. To those that say hard rules, like lock it up or watch your kids, there is a huge amount of luck or grace involved in raising a kid. Someone could pull it out of its designated area and forget to pack it up. It can fall down. The exhausting thing of being a parent is having to be a vigilante on everything.

Just heard more evidence that their are copperheads in our area. I can't even let them run in the back yard without anxiety. The shoot that really annoys me is the blatant ignorance. Some older person will talk about the 'good old days' when they didn't have to worry about these things, like driving with the kids in the back seat wearing seat belts, like it's a badge of honor. Fuck out of here. It was just blatent ignorance. We have direct access to these stories and more awareness. People used to not care, just like now, and actively ignore the causative factors.

No one would talk about why their cousin died, let alone publish the story for the town and the world to know. These things happened in the past and will happen in the future. After feeding a 7 month old, in really curious how big that packet was. Did the baby swallow it whole? My dish washer packets are massive. My kids would have to chew off multiple bites. It's sad.

 

[Black Door]

Laundry tabs indeed do look like candy...but they shouldn't be loose and out of the box. Parental negligence.

 

[Manmademan]

. After feeding a 7 month old, in really curious how big that packet was. Did the baby swallow it whole? My dish washer packets are massive. My kids would have to chew off multiple bites. It's sad.

I've used them, but I'm not really fond of them. They're definitely too big for a 7 month old to swallow whole. There are other articles with more detail.

when found, the kid had eaten a full one AND started in on a second one by the time the mother came back.

 

[Shambles]

Don't leave your kids without surveillance, not even one second.

Does not compute.

 

[Amalthea]

Those things reall look like candy. How hard could it be to make them look like broccoli?

 

[Symphonia]

true, but the laundry cupboard (or any cupboard with chemicals) should have a child latch on it until they're old enough to understand not to go in there.

Not all childlocks are 100% childproof. With enough force, anything can be broken. Childlocks are not the exception. And as for keeping an eye on them at all times, it's impossible. There will be a time, if only for a second, where you will need to leave them be. A second to a child is a lifetime.

 

[LiquidMetal14]

That is very unfortunate. It's the job as a parent to make sure these things never reach your kids immediate area.

It gets tougher when they older. When my 3 year old started climbing things he started to get into everything. So sometimes when I go to the bathroom he quickly climbs the counter and scampers to stuff he's not supposed to be into.

Luckily most of the stuff is child proof but I still tread carefully.

 

[Ecto311]

Don't leave your kids without surveillance, not even one second.

Man surveillance? No kids and a gamer? Couldn't tell.

 

[Baraka in the White House]

Sure, very small lapses in judgement can have dire consequences. A VP at my fiancee's work was crushed by a semi while biking to work 2 days ago because the driver failed to yield to a bicycle. There's a high chance he knew it was the law, maybe he was distracted, in a hurry or didn't see him for some reason. Maybe if the biker wasn't going fast he could have braked in time. Doesn't matter now, he's dead and the driver will lose his job and the city may pursue manslaughter charges against him. I'm sure he feels bad, I'm sure he didn't want to do it, I'm sure if he's driving he'll make double damn sure there are no bikes. But what's done is done and no amount of outrage genuine or manufactured changes that and certainly I don't think punishing him is going to make people always yield to bicyclists or even really make them take note.

I'd be lying if I said I had any emotional reaction to the child, I don't know any of the people involved and that's no different then not being emotionally attached to anyone in Egypt that was killed over the past few days. I'm not going to go up to the parents and tell them "well it's a shame your baby was stupid" but given the fact that I have the luxury of being an objective observer perhaps it's best to take that side.



So what you're saying is "better luck next time."

I don't even...

 

[turnbuckle]

Gaborn News - Tide changes lids after hundreds of kids eat laundry pods

Sad tragedy and most of the blame is on the parent, but they really should do something more than change the container. They look like awesome fruit snacks.

 

[Alucrid]

Kissimmee authorities responded Friday afternoon to a battered-women's shelter where the child's mother reported she had placed detergent pods — handed out by the shelter — inside a laundry basket on the bed where her son was sleeping.

She stepped away, and when she returned, the boy had eaten one packet of the highly concentrated detergent and was starting on a second one, according to Stacie Miller, a Kissimmee police spokeswoman.

http://articles.orlandosentinel.com...-20130815_1_detergent-laundry-7-month-old-boy

 

[Spectrum128]

Well I know I'll be buying latches for all of my kitchen cupboards tomorrow now.

7 months... my boy wasn't crawling at that point.

 

[Machine]

"Look how edgy I am! I can pretend to have no human empathy and can say things only a sociopath would say!"

Only a sociopath would say those things? He has no empathy because he acknowledges that accidents happen? I don't think you could fit any more hyperbole into one sentence.

 

[aceface]

I have a 7 month old and everything she grabs goes in her mouth. Doesn't really matter too much what it looks like at that point.

 

[darkwing]

what exactly are laundry pods? don't have them in my country

 

[jvm]

what exactly are laundry pods? don't have them in my country

Random image found on internet. If real, this looks like a freaking candy jar, for crying out loud.

Terrible. There has to be a huge lawsuit brewing.

 

[Manmademan]

I have a 7 month old and everything she grabs goes in her mouth. Doesn't really matter too much what it looks like at that point.

agree. i think the pods in the above image were redesigned (or maybe just the packaging) but given the proximity in which they were placed to the kid, it's hard not to see a 7 month old eating them no matter what color or shape they were.

edit. just the packaging has been redesigned. it's opaque now.

 

[jvm]

agree. i think the pods in the above image were redesigned (or maybe just the packaging) but given the proximity in which they were placed to the kid, it's hard not to see a 7 month old eating them no matter what color or shape they were.

edit. just the packaging has been redesigned. it's opaque now.

Better, definitely better.

 

[CodonAUG]

Tide pods do not look like candy too me.

The size, shape and feel are not candy like.

Edit: i am not saying a toddler should know the difference.

 

[jmdajr]

I didn't even know about these things.... yikes :\

edit: I remember eating some of my dad's medicine as a kid because they looked like M n M's.

Luckily it wasn't anything lethal.

 

[Skeyser]

That sucks, but shit like this probably happens everyday

 

[Impeccable]

I'm not sure a seven month old went, "Looks like candy, nom nom nom." more like, "I am a baby and I like to put things in my mouth! What's this? Nom nom."

Either way this is a parental failure.

 

[Tenks]

Is this new? I could have sworn I heard a report at least 6 months ago where kids were dying from those pods because they look like candy. I thought the companies were supposed to start making them look less appealing.

 

[TheOMan]

Random image found on internet. If real, this looks like a freaking candy jar, for crying out loud.

Terrible. There has to be a huge lawsuit brewing.

I never really thought about it that way, but it does look like a candy jar.

Either way - she definitely should not have left it right by where the kid was sleeping. Doesn't make sense to me.