Your Child Swallowed Something They Shouldn't Have: The Number to Call Before Panicking in Cologne
If your child has swallowed something they shouldn't have, a cleaning product, a houseplant leaf, an unknown pill, the number to call from Cologne is the Giftinformationszentrale Bonn (GIZ Bonn), based at Universitätsklinikum Bonn and reachable around the clock at 0228 19240. Nordrhein-Westfalen doesn't run a Cologne-specific center, Bonn's is the designated poison information service for the entire state, so this one number applies whether you're in the Innenstadt or out in Porz. For a genuinely life-threatening situation, call 112 first, then the Giftnotruf. Official first-aid guidance from GIZ Bonn is specific and sometimes counterintuitive: for something swallowed, offer small sips of water, tea, or juice, but never milk, since milk doesn't neutralize anything and can actually speed up how fast the substance is absorbed, and never try to induce vomiting or give salt water. For eyes, rinse under running water for at least ten minutes with the eyelids held open; for skin contact, remove wet clothing immediately and rinse the area with plenty of water. If you do end up at a doctor's office or hospital, bring the actual packaging, the information leaflet, or a piece of the plant involved, it genuinely speeds up treatment.
The Official Rule
A young child getting into something they shouldn’t have, a cleaning product left within reach, an unfamiliar houseplant leaf, a pill that fell on the floor, is one of the more common genuine scares in early parenthood, and knowing exactly who to call and what to do in the first few minutes makes a real difference.
Cologne’s number for suspected poisoning is the Giftinformationszentrale Bonn (GIZ Bonn), officially the Informationszentrale gegen Vergiftungen at Universitätsklinikum Bonn, reachable around the clock at 0228 19240. Nordrhein-Westfalen doesn’t operate a separate center in Cologne itself, GIZ Bonn is the state’s designated poison information service, so this single number applies whether you’re calling from the Altstadt, Ehrenfeld, or anywhere else in the region. For anything genuinely life-threatening, difficulty breathing, unconsciousness, a seizure, or signs of paralysis, GIZ Bonn’s own guidance is clear that you call 112 first. But for the more common situation, a child got into something and you’re not sure how serious it actually is, the Giftnotruf exists precisely to help you figure that out rather than guessing alone.
| Situation | Action |
|---|---|
| Life-threatening (breathing difficulty, unconsciousness, seizure) | Call 112 immediately |
| Suspected poisoning, unsure of severity | Call GIZ Bonn: 0228 19240 |
| Something swallowed | Small sips of water, tea, or juice; never milk or salt water |
| Eye contact | Rinse under running water at least 10 minutes, eyelids held open |
| Skin contact | Remove wet clothing immediately, rinse with plenty of water |
| Unconscious child | Recovery position, no fluids, no vomiting, call ambulance |
GIZ Bonn’s own first-aid guidance is specific about the first few steps, and some of it runs against instinct. For something swallowed, you can carefully offer small sips of water, tea, or juice, and the guidance flags this as especially important to do quickly for acid or alkali substances specifically. What you should not do: give milk, since it isn’t an antidote and can actually speed up absorption rather than helping; give salt water to try to trigger vomiting, which carries its own serious risk; or try to induce vomiting at all, since caustic substances can cause further damage on the way back up and there’s a real risk of the material being inhaled. Activated charcoal is a hospital-directed treatment, not something to administer at home.
For eye contact specifically, rinse under running water for at least ten minutes, gently keeping the eyelids open so the water actually reaches the eye. For skin contact, take off any wet or contaminated clothing right away and rinse the affected area with plenty of water. If a child has lost consciousness, place them in the recovery position, don’t give anything to drink and don’t try to induce vomiting, and call for an ambulance immediately rather than the Giftnotruf line.
If you do end up needing to see a doctor or go to a hospital, bring the actual evidence with you. Both GIZ Bonn’s own guidance and kindergesundheit-info.de’s guidance on poison control centers emphasize bringing the packaging of whatever your child got into, the information leaflet if one exists, or a piece of the actual plant if it was a houseplant or something from the garden. This genuinely speeds up treatment, medical staff can identify exactly what’s involved rather than working from a secondhand description or trying to recall a product name under stress.
What Real People Say
Parents who’ve actually called the Giftnotruf in a moment of panic describe the experience as genuinely reassuring rather than alarming, trained staff ask specific, calm questions, what exactly was ingested, how much, how long ago, your child’s age and weight, and can quickly tell you whether this is a wait-and-monitor situation or something requiring immediate medical attention, rather than leaving you to guess or assume the worst.
The detail newcomers to Cologne most often mention being caught off guard by is the Bonn connection itself, expecting a Cologne-based number and instead finding an 0228 area code. Knowing in advance that this is simply how Germany’s regional poison-center system works, one designated center per state or group of states rather than one per city, is worth internalizing before an actual scare happens, rather than losing time double-checking it mid-emergency. The milk myth is the other detail people consistently say they’re glad they knew ahead of time, the instinct to reach for it “to help” is common enough that learning in the moment it can make things worse is a bad way to find out.
Step by Step
- If the situation is genuinely life-threatening, call 112 immediately.
- For any other suspected poisoning, call GIZ Bonn at 0228 19240, available around the clock, and describe exactly what your child got into.
- For something swallowed, offer small sips of water, tea, or juice, and never give milk or salt water.
- Never try to induce vomiting, whatever the substance involved.
- For eye or skin contact, rinse with running water immediately, at least ten minutes for the eyes, keeping eyelids open.
- If a child loses consciousness, use the recovery position, give nothing by mouth, and call an ambulance directly.
- If you head to a doctor or hospital, bring the actual packaging, leaflet, or plant piece with you, rather than relying on a verbal description alone.
Compliance Note
This page explains general first-aid guidance for suspected child poisoning in Nordrhein-Westfalen, current as of mid-2026. It is not medical advice. For any actual suspected poisoning, call 112 for a life-threatening situation or GIZ Bonn (0228 19240) for guidance specific to your situation, rather than relying solely on this page.
FAQ & Common Pitfalls
Should we call 112 or the Giftnotruf first if our child swallowed something?
For a genuinely life-threatening situation, difficulty breathing, unconsciousness, a seizure, severe symptoms, call 112 first. For a suspected poisoning that isn't immediately life-threatening but you're unsure how serious it is, GIZ Bonn (0228 19240) is specifically set up to help you figure out whether this is a real emergency, a wait-and-watch situation, or something in between, and it's staffed around the clock for exactly this uncertainty.
Why does Cologne call a poison center in Bonn, a different city, rather than one in Cologne itself?
Because Germany organizes poison control regionally, not city by city, and Nordrhein-Westfalen doesn't operate a separate center in Cologne. The Informationszentrale gegen Vergiftungen at Universitätsklinikum Bonn is the designated service for the entire state, so it's the right number whether you're calling from central Cologne or anywhere else in NRW, not a gap in local coverage. It's worth saving in your phone under a name you'd actually recognize under stress, something like 'Giftnotruf,' since 'Bonn' alone can be a confusing thing to search for mid-emergency.
Our child got into a household cleaning product. Should we give them milk to help?
No, and this is a common but genuinely incorrect instinct. GIZ Bonn's own first-aid guidance recommends small sips of water, tea, or juice instead, and is explicit that milk isn't an antidote and can actually speed up how quickly a substance is absorbed rather than diluting it safely. When in doubt, call the Giftnotruf and describe exactly what your child got into before giving them anything at all.
Should we try to make our child vomit?
No, under any circumstances. GIZ Bonn's guidance is explicit on this point: don't induce vomiting, and don't give salt water to try to trigger it either, since that carries its own serious risk. There's also a real risk of the vomited material being inhaled. Instead, focus on staying calm, offering small sips of water, tea, or juice if the child is conscious, and calling the Giftnotruf for guidance specific to whatever was actually ingested.
What if the substance got into my child's eyes or on their skin instead of being swallowed?
For the eyes, rinse under running water for at least ten minutes, gently holding the eyelids open so the water actually reaches the eye, then call the Giftnotruf or seek medical attention. For skin contact, remove any wet or contaminated clothing immediately and rinse the affected area with plenty of water. Both of these are time-sensitive, start rinsing right away rather than calling first if the exposure is ongoing, then get advice on next steps once the initial rinse is underway.
If we end up going to a doctor or hospital, what should we bring with us?
Bring the actual packaging of whatever your child got into, the information leaflet if there is one, or a piece of the plant if it was a houseplant or garden plant. This genuinely speeds up treatment, medical staff can identify exactly what's involved rather than relying on your description or memory of a product name alone, particularly under the stress of an actual emergency.