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Why is it important to keep medicines and vitamins out of reach of children?
Children are curious, and often put all kinds of things in their mouths. Young children may not be able to tell the difference between medicine and candy. According to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC), more than 60,000 young children go to the emergency room each year because they got into medicines while their parents or caregivers were not looking.
Keeping medicines and vitamins out of reach and out of sight of children is the best way to ensure their safety.
Pick a place your children can’t reach.
Find a place in your home that is too high for children to reach or see. Walk around your house and decide on the safest place to keep your medicines and vitamins. Because some children can climb up (using the toilet or countertops), locked cabinets are the best place to keep your medicines and vitamins.
Put medicines and vitamins away every time.
Always put medicines and vitamins away every time you use it. This includes medicines and vitamins you use every day. Never leave them out on a kitchen counter or at a sick child’s bedside, even if you know you will need to give your child medicine again in a few hours.
Teach your child about medicine safety.
Tell your children what medicine is and explain why you must be the one to give it to them. Don’t tell your children that medicine is candy or tastes like candy to get them to take it.
Tell guests about medicine safety.
Ask houseguests and visitors to keep purses, bags, or coats that have medicines in them up and away, and out of sight when they are in your home. And be sure to keep your purse, bag or coat with medicines in them stored safely and away from your children, too.
Hear the click to make sure the safety cap is locked.
Always relock the safety cap on a medicine bottle. If the medicine has a locking cap that turns, twist it until you hear the click. But remember that even though many medicines and vitamins have safety caps, children may still be able to open them. Always keep your medicines and vitamins stored safely in a place where your children can’t reach or see them.
Be prepared in case of an emergency.
Call your poison control center at 800-222-1222 right away if you think your child might have gotten into a medicine or vitamin. Program the number for the poison control center into your home or cell phone so you can have it available when you need it
Information adapted from "Put your medicines up and away and out of sight," a patient information booklet published by the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention. This and other publications are available through the Internet (http://www.cdc.gov/medicationsafety/).
Created: 12/11
