Picture this: It’s a warm summer day; there is a light breeze blowing. You are sitting in a garden of green shrubs and delicate flowers. As you sip at a glass of cold iced tea, you inhale the sweet smell of summer. Does this image make you feel happy or relaxed? Plants, including flowers, herbs, shrubs and trees, can have a positive effect on people and on their surroundings. However, these plants can potentially be dangerous for your baby.
Did you know that even some common plants can make children, adults and pets sick, or even cause death? Just touching some of these plants is enough. A good rule of thumb is to avoid any plant that is not familiar to you and to teach your children to do the same. Remember, infants and toddlers don’t know the difference between lettuce and crocus, and will put almost anything into their mouths.
Here’s a handy list of some of those plants. Print this and do a tour of your home and yard:
- Angel’s Wings
- Autumn Crocus
- Avocado
- Azalea
- Black Locust Trees
- Bleeding Heart
- Buttercups
- Caladium
- Castor Bean
- Cherry Trees
- Chinese/Japanese Lantern
- Chrysanthemum
- Clematis
- Crocus
- Crown-of-Thorns
- Cyclamen
- Daffodil
- Daphne
- Dieffenbachia
- Dumb Cane
- Elderberry
- Elderberry Trees
- Elephant Ear
- English Holly
- English Ivy
- Foxglove
- Golden-Chain
- Holly
- Horse-Chestnut Tree
- Hyacinth o Hydrangea
- Iris o Jack-in-the Pulpit
- Jasmine o Jerusalem Cherry
- Jimsonweed (Thorn Apple)
- Larkspur
- Laurel
- Lily of the Valley
- May-Apple
- Mistletoe
- Monkshood
- Moonseed
- Morning Glory
- Narcissus
- Nightshade
- Oak Trees
- Oleander
- Philodendron
- Poison Hemlock
- Poison Ivy
- Poison Oak
- Potato (eyes, stems and spoiled parts)
- Primrose
- Rhododendron
- Rhubarb Leaves
- Star of Bethlehem
- Sweet Pea
- Tobacco
- Virginia Creeper
- Wild Mushrooms (all should be considered toxic until known otherwise)
- Wisteria
- Yellow Jasmine