Nearly everyone takes medications, but you need to secure them if you’re a parent. It isn’t sufficient to think that your little one can’t reach the countertop. Between 1999 and 2018, over a thousand children under 12 died from accidental drug overdoses.
How can you best protect your youngest clan members? Here’s how to safely store medications when you have kids at home.
1. Use Your Medicine Cabinet
Please don’t overlook the obvious when seeking to store your medication away from your kids safely. Your medicine cabinet may offer the perfect spot for your prescriptions and over-the-counter remedies.
This method works best if you have more than one bathroom, as you can keep dangerous medications in your private bath, where your toddler can’t use their potty training stool as a booster to climb atop the sink and explore.
Reserve your other medicine cabinet for non-toxic medical needs, such as various-sized bandages, gauze, and scissors. Your little one can patch themselves up when they have a boo-boo, and you know there’s nothing within that medicine cabinet that could poison them.
2. Install Locks
Another alternative is to install a locking medicine cabinet. Although such upgrades may cost you a bit upfront, it’s a small price to pay for peace of mind for your family. Plus, your renovation could enhance your property value if you later sell – other families want to protect their children, too.
What if you have too much to fit in a medicine cabinet? In such cases, a set of cabinet locks can keep your medications securely away from wee fingers. These can also keep cleaning products and other toxic household chemicals safely out of reach.
3. Secure Containers
Don’t you love how those childproof containers sometimes frustrate adults, too? As much as you might struggle, give thanks for these devices. They can help you safely store your medications away from your kids at home.
One handy trick you want to avoid when you have kids at home involves flipping your prescription caps. Many people don’t realize that those little amber scrip bottles have double-sided lids for patients with arthritis – you invert the top, making it a cinch to open without pushing and twisting. If you have to use this method for mobility issues, please use a locking medicine cabinet or cabinet lock to protect what the doctor ordered.
4. Out of Sight, Out of Mind
Children are insatiably curious, and anything that resembles an M&M is sure to attract their attention. However, they can’t clamour for your pills if they don’t know you have them. It’s a good idea to take your medication in private if your toddler is at the stage where their favourite question is, “What’s that?”.
As your children grow older, you might sometimes feel tempted to share medication with them. For example, those who take prescription pain treatments might think, “What’s the harm?” and share a dose with their child after an injury – especially if they lack the money for medical care. However, please refrain from such behaviour. Such medications can have side effects you aren’t aware of or cause addictive behaviour in children, especially if you expose them to a dose too high for their needs. If you need help paying for health care for your kids, you can apply for CHIP on the Marketplace website at Healthcare.gov.
How to Safely Store Medications When You Have Kids at Home
You have to keep your kids safe as a parent. Part of your duties entails keeping medication out of wee hands. Follow the tips above to safely store medications when you have kids at home. You’ll sleep more soundly when you don’t have to worry about overdose risks.
0 comments