Johnson's & Johnson's does not seem to be poisonous...

Tonight I placed myself in the running for the Mother of the Year Award. After Jackson's bath, in a desperate attempt to stop the baby acrobatics, I usually give Jackson any item that he shows interest in from the counter in the bathroom so that I can diaper and dress him without using too much physical force. Tonight, he chose the bottle of J&J Vapor Bath. He usually shakes the bottle or bangs it on something. Or tries to eat the label. But tonight, as I was concentrating on applying cream to his rear end while avoiding being kicked, Jackson learned a new trick. He can now pry the lid open with his teeth! Exciting discovery. Especially when it leads to a mouthful of menthol/eucalyptus goodness.

I finally noticed his discovery when I heard a little gagging sound. The poor boy had the most classic baby-ate-a-bad-thing look on his face and I just had to laugh. I sat him over the sink and did my best to wash his mouth out. He wasn't really upset by the terrible taste. He just kept sticking his tongue out and smacking his lips.

I wasn't sure what to do or if I needed to do anything. But I didn't want to give him anything to drink before I found out. So I called the phone number on the bottle. No answer - J&J was closed, they suggested I call my doctor. Uh no. Not calling my doctor after hours to admit to the crime of not being a good mother. So I got online. J&J website was no help. But I did find the gov't website that had a spec sheet for vapor bath and other household items. Turns out that while probably not good for him, drinking mentholated soap probably did him no harm.

Here is the link in case my friends with babies ever need it...


http://householdproducts.nlm.nih.gov/cgi-bin/household/brands?tbl=brands&id=10001032