What to Do If Your Baby Accidentally Inhaled Vape Smoke?
What to Do If Your Baby Accidentally Inhaled Vape Smoke?
Vaping poses serious risks to young children. If your baby accidentally inhaled vape smoke, it is crucial to act quickly. Learn how to recognize the symptoms and take immediate steps to protect your child’s health.
How can you keep your baby safe from accidentally getting into your vape?
Before discussing what to do if a baby accidentally inhaled vape smoke, let’s cover some prevention tips. There are four key steps you can take to prevent such incidents.
Keep your vaping device out of your child's reach
Keep your vape and other potentially harmful items out of your child’s reach. Store these items in a high cupboard or a box with a child-proof lock.
Avoid placing your vape in easily accessible areas such as your:
- Backpack
- Belt bag
- Desk
- Nightstand
- Coffee table
Teach your child not to touch the vaping device
Teach your children that touching the vape is dangerous and not allowed. While it may be challenging to explain this concept to toddlers, it is generally easier for older children aged 3-5 years.
Avoid vaping in front of your children
Be aware that babies often mimic the behavior they see. If you vape frequently in front of your baby, they might try to imitate your actions if given the opportunity.
Protect your kids from exposure to secondhand or thirdhand smoke
Understand that babies can be exposed to vape smoke even without direct contact with the device. Secondhand and thirdhand smoke can be extremely harmful to children.
According to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC):
"There is no safe level of exposure to secondhand smoke. Even brief exposure can cause serious health problems and be deadly. Completely eliminating smoking is the only way to fully protect people who do not smoke from secondhand smoke exposure. (...) Infants and young children are especially impacted by health problems caused by secondhand smoke because their bodies are still growing. Children exposed to secondhand smoke are at an increased risk for: - Sudden infant death syndrome (SIDS) - Acute respiratory infections, such as pneumonia and bronchitis - Middle ear disease - More frequent and severe asthma - Respiratory symptoms - Slowed lung growth"
Therefore, it is crucial to avoid exposing your baby to vape smoke.
What should you do if your baby accidentally inhales vape smoke?
After covering the basics, let’s look at what to do if your baby accidentally inhales vape smoke. Here are the key steps.
1. Stay calm
If your baby accidentally inhales vape smoke, it is natural to feel alarmed. However, staying calm is crucial in such a situation. Keeping your composure helps you provide the best care for your child.
2. Check if your child needs immediate help
Assess whether your baby needs urgent medical attention. Nicotine can be absorbed through the skin, so if e-liquid has come into contact with your baby’s skin, you need to remove it right away.
If your baby shows any signs of distress, seek professional medical help immediately. Call an ambulance and provide as much detail as possible, including:
- the age of your child,
- the type of e-liquid in the device and
- whether the e-liquid contains nicotine, THC, or other cannabinoids.
According to the Cleveland Clinic, common symptoms of nicotine overdose include:
- Abdominal pain
- Dizziness
- Headache
- Heavy breathing
- Increased blood pressure
- Increased heart rate
- Excessive salivation
- Muscle twitching
- Nausea and vomiting
- Pale skin
- Seizures
- Sweating
- Tremors
3. Take your child to the doctor
If your baby has inhaled vape smoke, it is important to take them to the doctor as soon as possible. Even if your baby does not show symptoms of distress, it is a good idea to have a healthcare professional check to ensure everything is alright.
