For decades, cigarettes in American homes were the bane of child health experts. 

But as their use has plummeted, a new foe has emerged: Vaping.

Looking at more than 92,000 U.S. poison control center reports of "nicotine exposures" in kids under the age of 6, researchers found that exposures from cigarettes and other traditional tobacco products dropped by 43% between 2016 and 2023.

At the same time, dangerous exposures from vapes soared 243%, according to a team from Rutgers University in New Jersey. 

Young kids who ingest a vaping product are also facing much higher health risks than those who play with or eat tobacco, the researchers noted.

"This significant spike in children breathing in these substances tells us the risk has changed: It’s no longer just about a toddler swallowing something they found on the floor,” explained study lead author Perry Rosen. “Many recent cases involve children actively using e-cigarette devices after gaining access to them."

Rosen led the research at the New Jersey Poison Control Center before becoming a medical student at New York Institute of Technology College of Osteopathic Medicine.

The surge in nicotine poisonings linked to vapes has continued despite efforts to safeguard kids.

As Rosen's team explained, recently passed laws mandate that liquid nicotine is only sold in child‑resistant containers in New Jersey, similar to many other states.

But kids are watching grownups use vapes — and, being kids, want to mimic them.

“Child-resistant packaging may prevent a toddler from swallowing liquid nicotine, but it does nothing to stop a child from copying what they see an adult do,” Rosen said in a Rutgers University news release. "That’s why we need safety standards that address the device itself, not just the container.”

Senior study author Dr. Diane Calello, medical director of the New Jersey Poison Control Center, is convinced that vaping devices are far more enticing to young kids than cigarettes were: They don't need to be lit, and they often come in bright colors that make them resemble toys.

“This study underscores the need for safety regulations at the device level," Calello said in the news release. "For example, manufacturers should be required to include flow restrictors or designs that make it more difficult for a child to activate a device."

The findings were published April 3 in JAMA Network Open.