Mother issues warning to parents after her one-year-old son fell unconscious and was taken to A&E after he ate washing machine pod

• Megan Woods, 18, was terrified when her son Tommy lost consciousness
• The one-year-old had grabbed a non bio Fairy pod from inside a cupboard
• The mother-of-one rushed her baby to hospital where he underwent tests 
• Baby Tommy threw up the poisonous pod while in the car on the way to A&E 

A mother has warned parents to keep cleaning supplies out of the reach of children after her one-year-old son fell unconscious and had to be rushed to hospital when he swallowed a washing machine pod.

Megan Woods, 18, was left terrified when her son Tommy lost consciousness after eating a non-bio Fairy pod.

First-time-mother Ms Woods was making lunch for Tommy when he crawled over and grabbed a pod from inside a cupboard on December 8. 

The mother-of-one, from North Walsham in Norfolk, called 111 and rushed her baby to A&E, with Tommy throwing up ‘several times’ on the way to the hospital.   

The poisonous pods can cause throat burns and breathing problems that lead to coma and even death.

When Tommy threw up he got most of the toxins out of his system and a doctor allowed Ms Woods to bring him home following a few tests.  

Megan Woods, 18, was left terrified when her son Tommy (pictured together) lost consciousness after eating a non-bio Fairy pod

The mother-of-one, from North Walsham in Norfolk, called 111 and rushed her baby to A&E, with Tommy throwing up ‘several times’ on the way to the hospital. Pictured, the packet

She said: ‘It was a normal day with Tommy until I turned around for just a moment and he had a pod in his hand.’

First-time-mother Ms Woods was making lunch for Tommy when he grabbed a pod

After her baby put the pod in his mouth Ms Woods said she ‘was in shock’ and ‘snatched it away’.  

‘He was crying and I tried to rinse his mouth with water. I didn’t really know what I was doing – there isn’t a guide for what to do when something like this happens.’

After calling NHS 111 she and partner Harry Palmer, 21, raced their son to A&E at Norfolk and Norwich University Hospital.

She said: ‘I was trying to wake him up but I couldn’t do it.’

In his moments of consciousness he threw up several times and Ms Woods feared the worst. 

‘In the car on the way to the hospital he was being sick and kept going in and out of consciousness. I remember trying to wake him up but I couldn’t do it.’ 

The poisonous pods can cause throat burns and breathing problems that lead to coma and even death. Pictured, Ms Woods with Tommy

After her baby (pictured) put the pod in his mouth Ms Woods said she ‘was in shock’ and ‘snatched it away’

Ms Woods said: ‘After the hospital I felt really guilty about what had happened – but when I asked other mums some said they had experienced similar.

‘I thought he couldn’t get in that cupboard but somehow he did. Nobody really tells you what to do when it happens – I had no idea what to expect.

‘Please – double check every seal, lock, cupboard. It only takes two seconds for a child to grab it and pop it in their mouth.’      

She said Tommy was ‘back to his old self’ after a few days, adding: ‘I want to remind people to double and triple check everything is out of reach of kids.’ 

A spokesperson from Procter and Gamble, the company behind Fairy, said: ‘We are very sorry to hear about this incident and hope for a speedy recovery. Nothing is more important to us than the safety of those who use our products.

‘Laundry liquid capsules are used safely in millions of homes every day.

‘We encourage everyone to keep all cleaning products up and out of reach of children and always use the closure systems included on our packaging.

‘We have taken significant steps to prevent accidents, hand in hand with ROSPA (Royal Society for the Prevention of Accidents), helping to create industry wide safety programs.’

These include ‘introducing packaging with child-impeding closure systems, including a safety reminder on every Fairy TV advert, as well as implementing a multi-million’ pound education program to help parents understand the importance of safe use and storage.’ 

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