Mother warns fellow parents against using common ‘organic’ spider repellent – after her toddler was rushed to A&E for ingesting ‘the smallest drop’

A mother has issued a stark warning after she had to rush her toddler to A&E, where he stayed for one night due to the ingestion of a supposedly ‘natural and organic’ spider repellent.

Elessame, who shares TikTok content under the handle @elessame, shared that she had used peppermint oil as a non-chemical spider deterrent – but disaster struck when her son got hold of ‘the smallest drop’.

In a TikTok video, she explained that she regularly uses peppermint oil in a spray bottle as part of her home cleaning routine.

‘Now, this is the “natural” essential peppermint oil that you can get from Home Bargains and places like that for £1,’ Elessame said.

‘We tend to put it in a spray bottle and put it on the skirting boards to keep away the spiders, all that jazz.

‘Now we had this bottle that was practically empty but it must have still had the smallest drop because, as I turned, [my son] had [got hold of] the straw bit and [it] had touched his lip.’

Initally, Elessame said she did not think the incident was something to get worried about, but she later discovered that ‘a drop was enough to be poisonous’.

Her immediate reaction was to brush her son’s teeth and give him some water to drink, which she was later told by her doctor was actually the wrong thing to do because this ‘makes them swallow [the peppermint oil], which can sometimes be worse’.

She also used a wet flannel to wipe the inside of her toddler’s mouth and thought that now she had washed his mouth out, he would be fine – particularly as ‘it was natural peppermint’.

However, her instincts took over and ‘something said to me to have a look online, just to double check’.

Elessame was advised to call an emergency healthcare line, so she did. 

‘I called them, went through all the questions like, “Is he vomiting? Is he coughing blood?”‘

Although her son wasn’t showing such severe symptoms, Elessame was told to get her son to a doctor within the next hour.

‘This is like 9 or 10 o’clock at night, so it was bedtime, I’ve got work the next day.

‘We get to the hospital and they’ve done checks on him and his heart rate had gone down, blood pressure had gone down, they did ECGs. Basically, he had to stay overnight.

‘I think something even as small as a mililitre or two mililitres, it’s classed as poisonous and toxic so even the tiniest amount, apparently when toddlers are under five, it’s really dangerous.

‘They were telling me, poisonous, poisonous, toxic. It was a horrible night. They had to try and put a cannula in his arm, he was screaming, it was just a big panic over something that I thought was just so minute, it’s literally “natural” and “organic”.’

Now that she realises how dangerous it can be to ingest essential oils like peppermint oil, Elessame wanted to let other parents and carers know as well.

‘It can be so dangerous. I don’t know if it’s all essential oils, I think [some] can be really, really dangerous. 

‘So yeah, just thought I’d share it on here so others know, mums, dads, carers, anyone who has kids in their parameters, especially toddlers who get into everything.’ 

Fans thanked Elessame for sharing her story and wished her baby boy a quick recovery, with many revealing that they too had no idea about the dangers of essential oils.

‘OMG I hope your son is OK, I have a two-year-old and use peppermint oils, and other ones in the diffuser, but I was going to put them in little bowls behid the doors but I won’t now after seeing this,’ one viewer commented.

Another wrote: ‘Thanks for sharing girl, this is so scary because we use lavender essential oils all the time.’ 

‘I’m glad your son is well, I have a three-year-old at home and had no idea. Thank you so much for sharing,’ a third added. 

Some people shared their own warnings when it comes to essential oils, and advised others to be wary of ‘natural’ labels.

‘Eucalyptus, peppermint, tea tree and camphor oils can be especially dangerous for children if ingested or even applied in large amounts,’ one person said.

‘Wintergreen oil is highly toxic and can be fatal in small doses.’

Another added: ‘They put “natural” on the bottle but if you look at the ingredients, they tell you otherwise.

‘Always look at the ingredients and make sure it’s organic. Thank God your son is okay!’

A third chimed in: ‘Even if you buy natural ones that are expensive they cannot be taken internally and will always need diluting.’

Many essential oil products are poisonous if absorbed through the skin or swallowed, and medical advice should be sought immediately if they are ingested.