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IRON MOUNTAIN -- While parents are using new detergent pods for laundry, kids across the country are being enticed by what they perceive as an edible treat.

The brightly-colored pods resemble candy and have become an intoxicating temptation for toddlers.

On Tuesday, the Associated Press sent out a press release that the Consumer Product Safety Commission is warning parents to be careful with those little single-load liquid laundry packets. The agency says the chemicals are toxic and need to be kept away from children.

"Unfortunately parents will have it underneath the sink or in the laundry room," explains Bellin Health MD Daniel McMahon. "The child can have easy access to this...they get in there, see it and can’t help themselves."

According to the Association of Poison Control Center, nearly 3,000 kids, ages five and younger, have eaten detergent packets. That’s nearly 13 cases a day nationwide.

The symptoms for the pods are more severe than typical detergent poisoning, and many medical experts are still trying to find out why.

Susan Smolinski, Director of the Children's Hospital of Michigan Regional Poison Control Center, says "we can’t explain from the ingredients why so many kids are having severe reactions."

The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention state symptoms of digesting the detergent include:

- Vomiting

- Throat irritation

- Difficulty breathing

- Unconsciousness

- Drowsiness

- Throat Swelling

If your kids do ingest the detergent, never induce vomiting. Let them sip water to both dilute the chemicals and make sure the child can still swallow. If your child vomits, you should take them to the hospital immediately.

Also remember to keep them away from milk. Smolinski explains "When you’ve got an irritating substance," milk will "fill up the stomach and induce vomiting."

Parents are reminded to try and store the single-load laundry pods in a place where children can't get to them.