Over 60,000 children in the U.S. end up in the emergency room each year because of wrongfully consuming medications. It is very important to keep your medications in a safe place that your children will not be able to access. Here are some tips to keep in mind as you try to keep your children safe from wrongfully consuming medications.
Store Your Medicine Bottles in a Safe Location
Putting your medications in an area that your children will not be able to reach will greatly reduce the chances of your child wrongfully consuming medicine. Placing medicine bottles on top of a refrigerator or cupboard are typically safe options because the medicine will be out of reach. However, make sure your children cannot see the bottles or they may try to climb and could hurt themselves. Placing your medications in a drawer or cabinet will also work, especially if you can lock up your medications. We offer two different locking medication storage bags that can hold either 8 or 12 bottles. Click here to learn more!
Put Up Your Medications After Each Use
After you have taken a medicine bottle out, do not leave it sitting out until you need it again. You should put your medicine bottle back in a safe place immediately after use, and keep it there until you need it again. A little bit of carelessness can cause a huge problem for you and your child.
Talk to Your Guests
If you have guests at your house who brought medications, make sure to tell them to keep their purse, suitcase, or any other bag with medicine closed. If that is not possible, you should show them a safe area to put their medications.
Keep Your Medications Safe While Traveling
When traveling, make sure that you keep your medicines in a safe place. If you are in a car, keep your medicines in a locked bag or in the glove box. When staying at someone’s house, ask them to show you a place to put your medications that children will not be able to access. If you are staying at a hotel, use the hotel’s safe as a medicine storage area. If there is not a safe in the hotel, the bathroom cabinets are also a safe place for keeping medicine. Our locking medication tote bags are perfect for travel, and you can learn more about them here!
Talk to Your Children
Children older than five will likely know the difference between right and wrong. Talk to your children and explain how wrongfully consuming medicine can be harmful or even fatal. You should tell them that only adults are allowed to handle medications, and you should not show your children where the medication storage areas are in your home. Children tend to forget things quickly, so it is important to regularly remind your children not to mess with medicine bottles.
In Case of Emergency
If your child happens to consume medicine after you have taken these precautionary measures, you need to be prepared. Immediately call the local poison control center at (800) 222-1222 and try to give them information about the medicine consumed by your child.
In Conclusion:
Children can end up in the hospital after wrongfully consuming medicine, which is why it is extremely important to follow the precautionary measures discussed in this article. If you are interested in learning more about our locking medication tote bags, get in touch with us!