Safe Houseplants For Children & Pets
Ranked #3,198 in Parenting & Kids, #103,926 overall
Keep Your Children Safe From Poisonous Houseplants
Houeseplants are wonderful for making our homes more beautiful and relaxing. They bring a feeling of nature and the outdoors into our lives and even help to purify the air that we breathe. However, care must be taken in choosing those houseplants that are safe for our children and our pets.
Children, especially during the toddler ages, are curious about everything and will put things, even the leaves of your decorative plants, in their mouths.
Keeping houseplants without knowing about their potential toxic properties can be dangerous to your children's health. Fortunately, there are a lot of safe houseplants to choose from so with just a little time spent in research you can make your home safer for your children.
What To Do If Your Child Ingests A Poisonous Plant
If your child has gotten hold of a poisonous plant (or any item you suspect or know is toxic) call the National Poison Center immediately at 1-800-222-1222. It is a good idea to have this number close and handy.
Visit the National Poison Center website to get a free poison prevention kit including stickers and magnets.
About Me - The Lens Master
His 3d animation studio - Mediafreaks - is focused on producing high-end animation work for documentary producers, advertising houses and cartoon animated series - with projects ranging from the animation of dinosaurs to the visualization of natural disasters and something as chic as 3d jewelry animations. He runs a popular animation blog where he frequently posts informative articles on the animation industry and shares useful advice on the business of animation.
To find out more about Aldric, visit his lensography at http://www.squidoo.com/aldricchang.
Table of Contents
Dont Keep Poisonous Plants In Your Home
Listed below are some of the most poisonous houseplants. Refrain from buying any of these plants if you have children in your household. Even if they are some of the most popular ornamental plants, they could cause serious physiological effects to any of your children.
Some of the safest houseplants for your children are African violets, spider plants, and Christmas cactus that are much more preferable as decorative plants.
Poisonous Houseplants
Flamingo Lily
Flamingo Lily a.k.a. Anthurium andraeanumThe flamingo lily is an ornamental plant, usually kept as indoor decoration, which produces beautiful flowers but are poisonous when eaten. Once swallowed by your child, it can cause severe irritation of the mouth and throat. Other species also contain certain irritants called calcium oxalate crystals that may affect your children as well.
Amaryllis
The amaryllis plant is also an indoor plant that is beautiful on the outside for its blooming petals but has toxins called lycorine in the bulbs. Since the particles come in small amounts, a large portion of the bulb can bring out the symptoms of the poison, which usually lead to diarrhea and vomiting.If it is safe houseplants for your children that you are looking for, stay far away from this one.
Angel's Trumpet
The name makes it sound holy enough to be safe, but it is known to be one of the most toxic ornamental plants ever. Though it is one of those plants that is in high demand for its wonderful blooms it has a narcotic property that can give a "high" effect to the person who has ingested it.Your children could suffer severely as it may cause them to lose consciousness and experience hallucinations.
These are definitely some of the most posonous houseplants for your children.
More Poisonous Houseplants
Here are some other common houseplants that have toxic properties. If you have children in your home you should not have any of these plants.
Aloe Vera
Bird of Paradise
Chrysanthemums
Dumb Cane
Elephant's Ears
English Ivy
Hydrangea
Mistletoe
Peace Lily
Philodendron
Pothos
Umbrella Plant
Pets And Poisonous Houseplants
Just as we do with our children we try to keep our pets safe and happy. However, if we aren't careful 
about what types of houseplants we choose we can also be putting our pets in danger. While most cases of pets being poisoned by houseplants are mild your pets will still suffer needlessly and you may have to spend money at the Vet to make them feel better.Did you know that very common houseplants like Dumb Cane, Heartleaf Philodendron and the Poinsettia are actually posionous to pets (and humans of course!)
Most dogs and cats, especially puppies and kittens, love to chew on things around the house. It seems like they have a special affinity to plants and will chew on them if given the chance. Learn about the types of houseplants that are poisonous to pets and if you have any of them in your home you should get rid of them or move them to a place where your pets will not be able to access them.
What To Do If Your Pet Is Poisoned
If you discover that your pet has eaten some material from a poisonous plant you will need to induce vomiting right away. The more quickly that this is done the less amount of the toxins that will be absorbed into your pets system. On the other hand, if your pet is already showing signs of poisoning such as going into seizures, throwing up blood, or slipping into a coma you should take it to the Vet immediately.
For more information read Some Houseplants Are Poisonous To Your Pet
House Plant Care And Information
Care tips and information about popular houseplants
Hoseplant Books
Please Drop Me a Line or Two :)
Post your comments about this lens below:
-
-
Tilly4Family
Oct 3, 2011 @ 9:19 pm | delete
- thank for this lens! it is very helpfl!
-
-
-
OhMe Sep 21, 2010 @ 8:58 am | delete
- Thank you for this valuable information on Safe Houseplants for Children and Pets. We have a new puppy so I am out gathering information. Blessed.
-
-
-
FlowerChick
Jul 29, 2010 @ 3:50 pm | delete
- Good information here! I have a similar lens on safe backyards for pets: "Dog Friendly Garden".
-
-
-
FlowerChick
Jul 9, 2010 @ 12:07 pm | delete
- Well done and very informative. This should be a must read for gardeners with pets! I recently created a lens on dog friendly gardens. We need to keep our four-legged friends safe and healthy.
-
-
-
happydogbeds Apr 13, 2010 @ 11:47 am | delete
- Thanks for this information, I'll keep it handy when visiting the green house next time.
-
- Load More
My Other Family Related Lenses
by Aldric_Chang
Aldric Chang is a creative businessman who is active in music composing and production, internet marketing, casual games production, animation production,... more »
- 226 featured lenses
- Winner of 14 trophies!
- Top lens » Rat Rod
Explore related pages
- Virtual Worlds for Kids Virtual Worlds for Kids
- Everything Poptropica Everything Poptropica
- Everything Club Penguin Everything Club Penguin
- Poisonous Garden Plants: Iris, Azalea, Hydrangea Poisonous Garden Plants: Iris, Azalea, Hydrangea
- Feng shui lucky bamboo care and tips Feng shui lucky bamboo care and tips
- Poisonous Plants: Morning Glory (Ipomoea) Lupin, Aconite (Monks Hood or Wolfs Bane) Poisonous Plants: Morning Glory (Ipomoea) Lupin, Aconite (Monks Hood or Wolfs Bane)
Baby-Safe Houseplants & Cut Flowers: A Guide to Keeping Children and Plants Safely Under the Same Roof
Baby-Safe Houseplants & Cut Flowers: A Guide to Keeping Children and Plants Safely Under the Same Roof
Amazon Price: $12.90 (as of 06/04/2012)
What I really think makes this book stand out is the amount of background the authors provide on their findings. Rather than just say, "Safe," "Unsafe," or "Prosecutable," the Albers tell you who has made the evaluation (often Poison Control), whether it has been researched formally or is simply a compilation of observations, and any reservations they may have concerning the finding. They tell you straight up that they plan on erring on the side of caution, but they give you more than enough information to let YOU make the final call on whether the plant needs to be shunned.
Don't Touch That!: The Book of Gross, Poisonous, and Downright Icky Plants and Critters
Don't Touch That!: The Book of Gross, Poisonous, and Downright Icky Plants and Critters
Amazon Price: $5.53 (as of 06/04/2012)
Grade 3-6-Packed with potentially life-saving information, this guide is humorous without sacrificing usefulness. The author, a medical doctor, begins with some basic plants (poison ivy, poison oak, and poison sumac) that might be encountered. Drawings of the leaves are carefully labeled and accompanied by the warning not to touch any part of the plant, and not to burn it as even the smoke can irritate. Poisonous insects, spiders, amphibians, reptiles, and mammals are also included, and every entry explains why the creature's venom causes the bad reaction it does and how to treat it. The text does a good job of explaining how to distinguish a poisonous insect from a benign one. It also encourages recognition of the value of potentially harmful wildlife by touching upon its importance to ecosystems. Genuinely funny, colorful drawings on every page amplify the text and make it memorable. The dangers of eating wild mushrooms, for example, are succinctly summed up: "NEVER EAT WILD MUSHROOMS!" and are accompanied by a cartoon of a rabbit chowing down on them because, as the text explains, rabbits can eat deadly mushrooms without harm. Valuable information made fun.-Frances E. Millhouser, formerly at Chantilly Regional Library, Fairfax County, VA
VIVA!
VIVA! Plant Protector Net- Prevents children & pets from digging in & eating the soil of potted plants. Longlasting & Non-Toxic. Fits any shape pot. Never needs to be removed. Lets water in but keeps small paws out! Size MEDIUM.
Amazon Price: (as of 06/04/2012)
Protecting our children from unseen toxins & choking hazards is an ongoing struggle. VIVA! Plant Net can help. High stretch fabric that covers the pot and soil. Fits any type of pot. Durable enough to withstand stretching and twisting without unraveling. Allows water in through the net. Long lasting solution which never needs to be removed! Safe & Non-Toxic.
