Call Poison Control at 1-800-222-1222 the moment you think a child ate or drank anything containing THC or CBD, even if the child looks normal. That line is free, open 24 hours a day, and staffed by nurses and pharmacists who talk parents through pediatric cannabis exposures every shift. The single exception is a child who is hard to wake, breathing slow or shallow, turning pale or blue, or seizing: call 911 first, then Poison Control. The criteria that decide the next hour are simple: how fast you call, the dose and product details you can read off the package, the child's age and weight, and whether symptoms have already started.
Emergency signs that mean 911 first
Skip the phone triage and dial 911 if any of these are present. Do not drive the child yourself if breathing is compromised.
- Unresponsive, floppy, or very hard to wake
- Slow, shallow, or irregular breathing, or pauses in breathing
- A seizure, twitching, or a stiff, arching posture
- Lips or fingertips that look blue or gray
- Repeated vomiting with heavy drowsiness, which raises dehydration and aspiration risk
- Any of the above in a baby under 12 months, where reserve is small and decline can be fast
Stay with the child, keep them on their side if they are vomiting or sleepy, and unlock the door so responders can get in.
Children Eating Cannabis: What to Do After Accidental Exposure
The call itself: what to have in your hand
Grab the package, wrapper, or vape cartridge before you dial. Poison center staff triage faster with real numbers than with guesses.
- Product type: gummy, chocolate, brownie, drink, tincture, capsule, flower, concentrate, or vape oil
- Total THC and CBD milligrams on the label, plus the serving size and how many servings the package held
- How much is missing, or your best estimate of how many pieces the child ate
- Time of ingestion and whether the child had eaten a meal around then
- The child's age and weight, and any prescription medicines or supplements they take
- Symptoms you have seen and when they started
- Whether alcohol, melatonin, or another substance could have been in the same product
Write down the case number and the advice you get. Follow-up calls to the same case are quicker.
What not to do while you wait
Most home remedies make pediatric exposures harder to manage, not easier.
- Do not induce vomiting. Cannabis vomiting plus a drowsy child is a choking risk, and poison centers rarely recommend it.
- Do not give ipecac or salt water.
- Do not push food, milk, or water on a child who is sleepy, confused, or vomiting.
- Do not wait for symptoms before calling. Edibles can take a couple of hours to show up, and the child's condition can change between the call and the peak.
- Do not assume a CBD-only product is harmless. Labels are not always accurate, and full-spectrum products can carry THC.
- Do not give another child a taste to test the product, and do not sample it yourself to judge strength.
How fast edibles hit and how long effects last
Swallowed cannabis is a different exposure from smoked cannabis. Onset is usually 30 minutes to 2 hours, peak effects often land between 2 and 4 hours, and symptoms can linger 6 to 12 hours or longer after a large dose. A child who seems fine at minute 20 can be unsteady and drowsy at minute 90. That delayed curve is why the poison center often asks you to observe for a set window rather than decide on the spot, and why a second dose eaten while you were not looking matters so much. Vape oil, concentrates, and tinctures absorb differently and need their own assessment.
Symptoms to watch for, mild to serious
Milder, common findings
- Sleepiness, trouble staying awake, or a flat affect
- Dizziness, clumsiness, unsteady walking
- Nausea, vomiting, stomach ache
- Red or glassy eyes, dry mouth, increased thirst
- Giggling, silliness, or a sudden change in behavior
Findings that need a hospital
- Breathing that is slow, shallow, or labored
- Racing or pounding heartbeat, or chest discomfort
- Severe agitation, panic, or hallucinations
- Seizure, muscle twitching, or rigid limbs
- Unresponsiveness or a child who cannot be roused
Young children, especially toddlers, tend to land on the sedated end of that list rather than the giggly end, and they have less margin before breathing is affected.
CBD products are still an exposure
A store-bought CBD gummy is not a pass. Full-spectrum and broad-spectrum oils can contain THC, some products carry melatonin or other sleep ingredients, and label accuracy varies. A child's body weight is a fraction of an adult's, so a serving that feels mild to you is a meaningful dose for a 30-pound preschooler. Treat any swallowed cannabis or CBD product as a call-worthy event and let the poison center decide whether observation at home is reasonable.
Call Poison Control, call 911, or watch and wait
Call Poison Control
- Pros: free, 24/7, expert triage, avoids an unnecessary emergency visit, gives you a documented plan and a case number
- Cons: hold times can be long on weekends and holidays, and you still have to watch the child yourself
Use this for every awake child with no emergency signs, including small tastes and uncertain doses.
Call 911
- Pros: fastest route to oxygen, monitoring, and transport when breathing or consciousness is compromised
- Cons: not needed for a calm, alert child, and it ties up emergency resources
Use this for breathing trouble, seizures, unresponsiveness, or a baby with any symptoms.
Watch and wait without calling
- Pros: none that outweigh the risk when a child has swallowed cannabis
- Cons: no triage, no dose assessment, delayed care if symptoms escalate, and a missed chance to catch a co-ingestion such as alcohol or a sleep aid
This is the one option to rule out. The call is free and takes minutes.
What happens at the emergency department
Most children get supportive care: continuous monitoring of breathing, heart rate, and oxygen, fluids if vomiting, and a quiet, low-stimulation space. There is no antidote for cannabis, so time and observation do the work. Activated charcoal is only sometimes considered, only inside a narrow window, and only when the airway is protected, so never attempt it at home. Bring the package, note the time of ingestion, and tell the team about any other medicines, supplements, or alcohol the child could have reached. Most children who are seen and monitored do well, and discharge usually follows a stretch of normal vitals and normal behavior.
Prevention that holds up with kids in the house
- Store edibles, tinctures, and vape products in a locked box, not a kitchen drawer or a purse
- Keep products in the original child-resistant packaging and keep the label readable
- Count what is in the package so you notice a missing gummy
- Set a house rule for guests: no cannabis products in bags or coat pockets within reach
- Dispose of leftovers and old vape carts at a take-back site rather than a trash can a child can open
- Talk to teens about dose and driving in plain terms, since adolescent exposure is a separate risk
Save 1-800-222-1222 in your phone under a name you will find in a panic, and put the number on the fridge. If you are unsure whether to call, call.