- Tap water can contain lead when not used for a few hours. Run cold tap water for a minute before using it for drinking, cooking, or making baby formula. Do not use hot tap water for drinking.
- Provide proper nutrition. Once children begin eating solid food regularly, feed them three meals a day and healthy snacks rich in iron, calcium, and vitamin C such as milk, yogurt, citrus fruits (oranges), broccoli, and lean meats. These foods help reduce absorption of lead.
- Talk with your provider before giving traditional or herbal medicines or remedies to your child. Some may contain lead or other poisonous heavy metals.
- Don’t serve food or drinks from foreign-made dishes or ceramics, because they may contain lead.
- Talk to your child’s provider to make sure your child has blood lead tests at 1 and 2 years of age.
For more information, call the Lead Poisoning Prevention Program at 311.
The New York City Poison Control Center provides free advice on poisoning prevention and treatment 24-hours-a-day, 7-days-a-week. Specially trained health-care professionals will answer any questions about poisoning. All calls are confidential and translation services are available. The Center also has free poison prevention materials, including telephone stickers, cabinet safety locks, and fact sheets. Be sure to keep all medicines, cleaning products, and poisons out of the reach of children.
Call 1-800-222-1222 or 212-POISONS (212-764-7667), or just call 311.
Keep your baby safe in a car. Use a federally approved car seat of the proper size (infant, toddler, small child). Follow the instructions for installation carefully; the center of the back seat is the safest place to install a car seat. An infant car seat should face backward until the infant is at least 20 pounds and reaches the age of 12 months.
