Keep Out of Reach of Children: Kids and Medication Safety

If you start looking at labels, you’ll see the phrase “Keep Out of Reach of Children” on almost everything. 

When I worked in a childcare setting, the state of Tennessee required anything that had that warning, be locked up so kids could literally not get a hold of it. It was a great experience for me because I often think back to those experiences and put into practice what I learned then.

But – one thing that we use almost daily that I would about bet know one keeps locked up… medications. I’m sure that most of you who are reading my blog are dedicated parents and definitely do keep medications out of sight and away from children, but sometimes we might slip. 

Or worse, your child might be visiting another house and they don’t keep their medications tucked away safely.

Those figures are staggering, aren’t they!?  One point that I think is so important is… this could happen to your child easily.

Moreaya is into everything. I mean, everything! 

Sophia, as a young toddler, never got into anything. The worst she ever did was unroll toilet paper, but my Moreaya is definitely a different story. 

It also makes it a little more dangerous because she’s a bit sneaky. Sophia never left my side, but Moreaya will sneak out of a room before you even realize it! I’ve definitely had to become a different type of parent with this little lady!

With that said, I also have to be careful when she’s somewhere other than home. This little lady can spot a tiny speck of dirt on any type of floor, so she can easily spot pills too. 

There was one instance when we were visiting my parents’ house and she found a pill in their carpet. It was just an over the counter medication, but for a child her size, it could have resulted in a serious situation if we hadn’t been supervising her well.

My story isn’t uncommon either… “In 43% of emergency room visits for medicine poisoning, the child got into medicine belonging to a relative, such as an aunt, uncle or grandparent.”

Another important thing to remember about kids and medication safety is keep ALL medicines away from children. Parents know to do this, but often times products that you don’t see as medicines – such as vitamins, eye drops, diaper creams – are often culprits of poisonings. 

A family member had a scare with her son when he got into the container of gummy vitamins. He saw them as candy and ate quite a few. His Mom called Poison Control and they declared that he was fine because the particular vitamins he consumed didn’t contain iron. 

Kids and Medication Safety Tips:

To keep your children safe, here are some tips from Safe Kids Worldwide. Share them with visitors and with those who care for your child outside of their home to ensure your child is safe both inside and outside of the home.  It’s definitely a great idea to share these tips with your child’s daycare provider and any babysitters too!

• Put medicines up and away and out of sight.  Make sure that all medications, including vitamins and adult medicines, are stored out of reach and out of sight of children. In 86% of emergency room visits for medicine poisoning, the child got into medicine belonging to an adult. 
• Consider products you might not think about as medicines.  Most parents know to store medicine up and away – or at least the products they consider to be medicine. But they don’t always think about products such as eye drops or vitamins, which may not seem like medicine but actually are. Look around your home to see what products are within the reach of children and may be harmful, then move them up and away.
• Be alert to visitors’ medicine.  When you have visitors in your home, offer to put purses, bags and coats out of reach of children to protect their property from a curious child. Well meaning visitors may not be thinking about the medicines that they have brought with them in their belongings. In 43% of emergency room visits for medicine poisoning, the child got into medicine belonging to a relative, such as an aunt, uncle or grandparent.
• Put medicines up and away after EVERY use.  It may be tempting to keep medicine close at hand when you need to give another dose of medicine in just a few hours. Accidents can happen fast. It only takes a few seconds for children to get into medicine that could make them very sick. Put medicine up and away after every use. And if you need a reminder, set an alarm on your watch or cell phone, or write yourself a note.
• Read the label and know what’s in the medicine.· Take the time to read the label and follow the directions on your child’s medicine. Check the active ingredients listed on the label. Don’t give your child more than one medicine with the same active ingredient. Giving your child two or medicines that have the same active ingredient can put your child at risk for an overdose.

Although I’d like to think I would never need it and your probably think the same way, it is so important to put the Poison Control number in your home and cell phone: 1-800-222-1222.

Have you ever had to call the Poison Control Line?