How Can I Keep Children Safe from Medications?

Tara Warwick, MS, OTR/L

December 3, 2018

Question

How can I keep children safe from medications?

Answer

Parents of young children should make sure to put all medications out of sight, preferably in a locked container where the child cannot easily access it. Consider places where children can get into medicine. Sometimes people store it in their bathroom. Can the child easily get into that area? A lot of times when we think about medicine, we only think about our prescription pills or liquids. There are many other products that can be dangerous and cause harm to children, such as creams, ointments, vitamins, eye drops, and nail polish. We need to take care that all these products are out of reach of young children. If you're not sure if a product is poisonous, research it online or call poison control and ask them. Another bit of advice regarding medicine is to only use the application device that comes with the medicine to deliver it. For example, if there is a measuring cup, or a syringe or dropper, be sure to use that to deliver the medicine. Write clear instructions for everyone. If you are leaving children with child care, or with their grandparents or babysitters, make sure the instructions are clear and that they know what kind of medications the child can have. Again, remind families to post the poison control number in an easily accessible place. It's also a good idea to save the number in their phone contacts.

This Ask the Expert is an edited excerpt from the course, Safety Tips for Young Children, by Tara Warwick, MS.

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