How are you keeping your kids safe? Grab your up & away medicine safety tips for National Poison Prevention Week. This is a sponsored post. All pediatric nurse opinions are my own.
Up & Away Medicine Safety Tips for National Poison Prevention Week
I remember the first time my daughter was able to push herself on the swing. She was so proud of herself. When my kids play on the swings, so much happens in those few seconds between the ground and the sky. Determination turns into smiles and laughter. Hard work turns into carefree play time. And as much as I’d like to focus on my kids swinging “up and away” today, I have to remind y’all that this week is also National Poison Prevention Week.
Did it make you cringe? Me too. Because the surprising stats instantly pulled at my mom heartstrings.
During one of my few pediatric ICU rotations, I witnessed a child laying in bed from an accidental medicine overdose. Hooked up to all of the machines and breathing apparatuses and about 5 IVs running through his little fragile body – it’s truly heartbreaking what can happen to a child in seconds. According to SafeKids, almost every minute of every day there is a call to a poison control center because a young child got into a medicine. Approximately 60,000 kids go to the ER every year because they got into medicines that were left within reach (this equals 4 school bus loads of kids every day). I don’t know about you – but that’s way too often for my comfort. Let’s talk REAL medicine safety tips, parents. We need to. Please read these really important tips, self-check your home and have your questions ready for an informative Facebook Live session this week. Let’s do this, for our kids.
Keep Your Medicines Up and Away
It sounds pretty simple. Keep your medicines stored “up and away” and out of reach of kids. But there are times when I keep headache medicine in my purse. Or we happen to store cough syrup on our bathroom counter (cold & flu season affect your house too?). Or we’re traveling and have a stash of “what if” medicines in our suitcase. Or we visit the grandparents and there’s just pills – everywhere.
According to SafeKids, “7 in 10 parents report storing medicine within a child’s sight. Nearly 5 in 10 parents leave medicine out in a visible location between doses when their kids are sick.” This is your friendly wake up call to double check all of the medicines you own. Gather them together now and store them safely up and away from your kids’ hands. Grab more up and away medicine safety tips at the CHPA Educational Foundation’s Up & Away website.
Talk to Your Kids About Medicine Safety
Have you talked to your kids about medicine safety? I mean, have you really gone into the medicine cabinet, shown them what medicine is, and why it’s important we keep it up and away? Parents, teach your children what medicine is and that only a parent or caregiver should give it to them. Parents never tell your kids that medicine, including vitamins, are candy, even if they don’t like to take it.
Have the Poison Control Center Number on Standby at ALL Times
Do you have the Poison Control Center on speed dial? I didn’t either. But today I added that number to my favorites on my phone. And you should too. Save this number right now for the Poison Control Center: 800-222-1222. Post it to every noticeable spot – like your fridge, your calendar, your home phone. Hand the number to every babysitter. While we never want to have to use this number ever, we need to able to act quickly in an emergency. I don’t want to waste precious seconds looking for a number. How about you?
Grab Medicine Safety Tips at the KYOTCs Facebook Live Session
You’ve got questions? We have answers! Medicine safety poses a lot of confusion and miscommunication – especially when we as parents want to do everything we can to keep our kids safe. Grab your Medicine safety tips and get those burning questions answered during the Tips for National Poison Prevention Week Facebook Live Session this week. Here are the details:
- Date: Wednesday March 21, 2018 at 1 pm EST
- Topic: “Safe Medicine Storage: Keeping Kids Healthy & Safe this Spring”
- Who: Dr. Wendy Sue Swanson of Seattle Children’s Hospital & Seattle Mom Doc
Talking about National Poison Prevention Week is hard – it’s not a topic we usually chat about over coffee. But it’s important, so important that we keep our kids safe from the life-threatening dangers that are 100% preventable. Having my kids be happy, healthy and kind – those mean everything to me. The term “up and away” holds a two-sided meaning for me now. So many hopes and dreams but also so much responsibility as we raise our kids. During National Poison Prevention Week and beyond, everything is looking “up and away.” Head to https://www.upandaway.org/ to get more prevention tips, facts and resources to keep our families safe.
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I am a #KnowYourOTCs blogging ambassador, compensated by the CHPA’s Educational Foundation in support of KnowYourOTCs.org. All opinions are my own. No little hands touched the OTC medicines (I’m a pediatric nurse, remember?) and we made sure to wash our hands a million times – because cold and flu season. Be sure to follow Raising Whasians for more family tips, delicious recipes, and kid crafts.
Colleen says
Medicine safety is something that isn’t thought of enough these days. We all focus on household toxins and the like, but remember: medicine CAN be toxic if used incorrectly.
Melissa Chapman says
I will never forget when my son of about 3 got into my mother’s medicin and we did not know if he took anything, a night of observation in the ER and thank god he was alright. I think being safe is always the best prevention in these cases.
Marcie W. says
Thank you so much for these important safety reminders! You never can be too careful, especially with little ones around.
Felicia says
I definitely keep the medicine up and away, but I do need to get the poison control center number more at hand. Thank you for the important reminders.
MariAlison B says
I spent some time working for a poison control center and these were the scariest/saddest cases. Thank you for sharing!
Maureen says
You can never be too careful when it comes to keeping those poisons away from our kids. Glad you shared some safety tips to help other parents out there!
Toni | Boulder Locavore says
These are really great tips! It is really important to teach kids about medicine safety.
Rosey says
I have a bit here and there, but never really sat down to ‘have the talk.’ It couldn’t hurt, and it could be very beneficial, so I think I will. Always better safe than sorry.
AnnMarie John says
These are very good reminders for parents especially the parents with kids that are in that age where they’re curious about everything. It’s important that we keep the meds in a place that they can’t reach.
Janet W. says
Very good reminders and information for family members with young children around. This is something that it totally preventable when using the right measures.
Deanna Marissa says
These are some very good information regarding safety and remedies. Thanks for sharing.
shelly peterson says
Thanks for the great information. Safety is very important.