Summer cherries are my favorite! But this delicious fruit recently led to a health scare with my toddler…
We don't need to go into too much detail here, but let's just say it involved a certain someone ingesting at least a dozen cherry pits in one sitting after a trip to farmers market... yeaaaahhh.
In case you're curious, cherry pits contain cyanide (I first learned that from the show Ozark! lol), which is poisonous at certain levels, but the pits have to be ground up and consumed in large quantities (like 30 or 50) for them to be dangerous. Accidentally swallowing the occasional cherry pit is no problem at all. And swallowing a dozen, it turns out, can definitely cause some stomach discomfort for a few days but is not life threatening.
Anyways! The whole situation made me realize that poison control is a mama's best friend!!! Not only can it help save a life in emergency situations, but this free resource can also bring clarity and peace of mind during life's bumps, and can help answer any questions you may have correctly and promptly. Phew!
Calling poison control is different than calling 911 (which usually will automatically send an ambulance to you). Poison control instead stays with you on the phone, providing you with helpful information about the substance you’re calling about (whether it’s cherry pits, windex, or organic fertilizer). They’ll answer your questions, provide informed recommendations, and ask you appropriate follow up questions. They will look up specific information on their end about the substance you’re calling about, so try to have exact product names and info ready whenever possible.
When you're in an emergency situation (real or perceived), time is of the essence. So this is what I want you to do right now...
Drop everything and put this number in your phone!!!
Poison control: 1-800-222-1222
Add it into your phone contacts and then add it to your favorites! If you have an iphone, your favorites (with the star sign) are all available within a couple taps of your finger. Now you can easily be prepared!
I hope you never need to call poison control, but I also hope you can feel a little bit more confident now knowing that you have the number ready should you ever wanna use it!
Lots of love from one mama to another.
PS- don't worry, I came around and we still love cherries over here! Plus now Koda knows how to eat cherries and all pitted fruits safely. That's a win!