Tums have low toxicity for kids if taken several at a time. If your little ones digested a few, give them water and a snack. There’s no immediate danger. However, your toddler might be constipated, have a belly ache, or have loose stool. If you don’t know the number of tums your toddler has taken, and your little one is showing severe symptoms like bellyache, vomiting, or even fever, immediately take them to the doctor.
Tums is a popular antacid brand that offers its consumers tablets in a chewable format similar to many other brands. While antacids are used to treat symptoms of excess stomach acid, they are only suitable for adults.
Most commercially available antacid products have not been approved for use in children under the age of 6 years.
But if your toddler accidentally takes tums, there’re a few things you should do to check on them and ensure it’s not dangerous to their health.
Tums – Who can use it and how it works
Tums is a medication that treats symptoms like heartburn, upset stomach, indigestion, or acid reflux. It works as an antacid by lowering the stomach’s acid.
Tums come in a chewable form which adults need to chew before swallowing.
Adults and children above 12 are recommended to chew 2-4 tablets or as the doctor recommends.
On their official website, you’ll find that the main active ingredient in Tums is calcium carbonate, which is naturally mined from limestone and works quickly to calm down heartburn.
The calcium carbonate in tums quickly neutralizes the stomach acid, relieving the symptoms.
What are the potential risks of a toddler eating tums?
It’s not recommended for Children to take Tums for multiple reasons.
Most importantly, it’s because this is a growing period for them, and children rarely suffer from stomach acid and related issues.
Toddlers’ bodies are quite sensitive and have only become a bit stronger than they were newborns.
Still, in a sensitive stage, their stomachs can’t handle something which an adult’s stomach can.
A toddler’s stomach is still getting used to semi-solid food or just consuming solids and not eating a full meal like an adult’s.
Plus, the active ingredients in the medications might react differently to their body than an adult’s.
Signs and symptoms your toddler ate tums
Usually, a toddler might accidentally end up consuming tums if these tablets are within their reach.
A toddler might be in their exploring phase, and you end up leaving tablets somewhere they can reach; they could find these colorful tablets exciting and pop them in their mouth.
Not only are they a choking hazard, but these tablets could have a low risk of toxicity for toddlers.
If they end up consuming too much without you knowing about it, they could suffer from the following symptoms:
- Upset stomach
- Loose stool
- Constipation
How to treat a toddler who ate tums?
You might have either caught your toddler in the act or found tablets missing from the bottle to realize that the deed is done.
The essential thing to do here is not to panic. Doing so could also make your child upset and make them cry or get scared.
Since tums have low toxicity, even if your child ate a lot of them, they would only have a few stomach issues for a couple of days until the tablets are out of their system.
But for immediate treatment, the only thing to do here is to help them rinse their mouth or wipe their tongue with a wet cloth.
Giving them a snack and water to drink is the appropriate way to handle things. What you shouldn’t be doing is trying to induce vomiting.
Tums aren’t poison for them, and the low toxicity level won’t affect them too much.
How to prevent toddlers from eating tums?
To a toddler, tums may seem like a colorful piece of candy that they want to eat. As parents, it’s difficult to be careful all the time, and sometimes we do end up making mistakes.
But instead of being harsh on yourself, you should think of ways to prevent it from happening in the future.
As parents of a toddler, you should be more careful with things they can reach or grab at this age.
Since toddlers are in their exploring stage and don’t understand the intricate details about what’s wrong or right, they could end up choking on smaller things or accidentally taking the wrong medications.
So, keep your things on a higher shelf where your toddler can’t reach them. Especially medications that can prove to be quite harmful to a toddler.
What to do if my toddler is suffering from digestive issues?
On a related note, a toddler could be suffering from heartburn or indigestion symptoms.
They could go through similar signs, such as pain, burning sensation, nausea, vomiting, burping, bloating, diarrhea, or constipation.
Their heartburn could also be confused with gastrointestinal conditions such as Celiac Disease, inflammatory bowel disease, eosinophilic esophagitis, or dysbiosis.
If you suspect heartburn and indigestion, you shouldn’t be giving tums or any alternative medicine to your toddler. There’re certain products available that are made for children with digestive issues, which are more suitable for them.
There are various baby formulas for stomach issues such as heartburn, acid indigestion, and upset stomach.
Always consult a doctor instead of dealing with this issue on your own.
In fact, some home remedies that won’t prove to be harmful are much better to be adopted at such times:
- Giving sugar-free gum to chew on for 30 minutes if your child is old enough to chew gum without swallowing it.
- Mixing a teaspoon of baking soda into a glass of water and allowing your child to drink it.
- Giving your child a glass of milk for quick relief of symptoms. Drinking milk may help relieve acid indigestion or heartburn.
FAQs
Can my 2-year-old toddler take antacids?
You need to consult the pediatrician before giving your toddler any medication. Most over-the-counter antacids are not recommended for children under the age of 2.
What foods cause acid reflux in toddlers?
Foods that can cause acid reflux and should be avoided for toddlers are carbonated drinks, fatty and spicy foods, mustard and vinegar, and acidic foods such as pickles and peppermint.
What can you give a toddler for an upset stomach?
Encourage your little one to drink water and withhold solids for a little while, especially if she’s throwing up. After a while, try offering mild foods like crackers, applesauce, dry toast, or even plain rice.
References
- https://www.healthline.com/health/antacids
- https://www.webmd.com/heartburn-gerd/guide/heartburn-in-children-and-infants#:~:text=start%20in%20infancy.-,What%20Causes%20Heartburn%20in%20Infants%20and%20Children%3F,the%20mouth%20to%20the%20stomach.
- https://www.uptodate.com/contents/acid-reflux-gastroesophageal-reflux-in-infants-beyond-the-basics/print
