It's an excellent parent who calls the National Poisons Centre not once, but three times, for the same child. I say for the same child because that's how often I have called them for my son. We'll save his sister's story for another time.
The first time, I had taken to a large cockroach with a can of fly spray. It was taking ages to die and we were going out so I covered it with a paper towel and forgot about it.
Later I heard my son, then 11 months old, gagging. I checked him. He was fine. But a little later I looked at him and wondered what was on his chin. It was a cockroach leg. I went to check the remains and found all that was left was another leg. He had eaten the entire cockroach - minus two legs. I wasn't worried about the roach, more the chemicals I had doused it with. I called the Poisons Centre. The person on the other end of the line reassured me, and all was fine.
I stopped worrying about how small I cut his food after that. If he can eat a chewy cockroach, he can eat a piece of steak.
About six months later, I found him gagging repeatedly and frothing at the mouth.
