It’s any parents’ goal to always keep their children safe and free from harm. But no matter how much parents can try to protect their kids, accidents can still happen.

We know that babies love putting things in their mouth, as they explore the taste and texture of different objections. Once babies begin to teethe, they love to chew and gnaw on things as a way to manage pain relief.

As babies become toddlers and begin to explore more freely, some will continue to put things in their mouths. Whether it’s at home, or outside, parents can be found chasing their busy bodies and stopping them just in time before picking up dirt or food off the floor and eating it.

But teaching little ones not to eat off the floor is a good lesson, and one that saved a 3-year-old boy’s life. Milly Smith always pays close attention to her son, Eli.

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In a recent Instagram post, Smith shared how she dropped one of her thyroid pills on the floor. If her son had ingested it rather than just showing her the pill, Eli could've been in major trouble.

"This highlights how damn important it is to make sure you teach your children to NOT eat things off the floor and to show them to you immediately," she wrote.

"Eli has been taught he doesn't put anything in his mouth from the floor even if he knows it's a sweet. He ALWAYS has to double-check and we reinforce it constantly."

Had Eli swallowed the pill, he would've needed to be rushed to the hospital immediately.

"This is a levothyroxine tablet for a thyroid disorder I have, and [is] strong enough to put Eli in intensive care," she said. "I am the most careful person with my tablets, but even the most careful person in the world will have human error, which is why it's not enough to just keep your meds out of reach."

Smith shared her post to remind parents to teach their own children to never eat anything off the floor. No matter how careful parents are, mistakes like dropping a pill without even noticing, can still happen.

"Eli picked this up off the kitchen floor and immediately came to me to show me," explained Milly. "If he'd have swallowed this I'd be in [the emergency room] right now, or worse.”

Smith warned parents: “TEACH CHILDREN NOT TO PUT STUFF IN THEIR MOUTHS FROM THE FLOOR.”

Teaching your child early on not to put things into their mouths is an important lesson, and could’ve saved Eli’s life.

“We taught Eli from a very, very young age and so far, we've never had a problem, fingers crossed. Even more important in a household that has a lot of medication."

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