TORONTO - A 2 1/2-year-old boy survived a potentially deadly weekend Ecstasy overdose after ingesting what he most likely thought was candy.

The lad, from Beaverton, Ont., just north of Toronto, swallowed the whole blue pill around 7 p.m. Friday and his parents noticed that his lips, gums and teeth were discoloured blue from a dye before realizing what he had done, Durham Regional Police said.

Shortly after that, the child went into distress and his parents called EMS.

The child was rushed to a local hospital before he was transferred to Hospital for Sick Children in Toronto, where he was placed in the intensive care unit.

He's since made a full recovery.

"The parents were quick to call 911 and are being co-operative with the investigation," Durham Regional Police Sgt. Nancy Van Rooy said Wednesday.

The lad "was in his own residence and ... he ingested what he probably thought was a Smartie, it was blue, and in the end, it was an Ecstasy tablet," she said.

The pill was apparently left unattended on a coffee table in the living room.

The lad walked into the kitchen and smiled, showing his mouth, gums and teeth that were discoloured by the blue dye used in the pill.

"That's when the first parent noticed something not right and took it from there," Van Rooy said.

"From what I understand, this child had a really close call," she said.

Van Rooy said detectives don't expect to file charges but the Durham Children's Aid Society is conducting a parallel investigation.

"It was one pill and they admit it belonged the them and they haven't been involved in any consumption or ingestion of illicit drugs for three years, is what they stated," Van Rooy said.

She admits police could have been misled but investigators say the parents, in their 20s, were shaken to the core and more than likely scared straight.

She said it appears as if the overdose was accidental.

"They remain on file, but I don't expect charges," Van Rooy said.

She reminded parents that while in this case, an illicit drug was ingested, Van Rooy said parents should remain vigilant about young children being exposed to anything toxic.

"It's about that Advil that you may leave out that could harm a two-year-old, too," she said.