In this day and age, most parents should know that they should childproof their medicine cabinets to keep the medicines away from the hands of their children. However, according to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC), parents and caregivers aren’t nearly as alert as they should be to keep their children away from medicines.
Due to the forgetfulness of parents, more than 60,000 children are sent to emergency departments each year after exposure to medicine; accidental overdoses in children are up by 20%. CDC research shows that most such cases result from medications left unsafe – stacked on countertops, tucked into purses and coat pockets, or stored in bathroom cabinets.
It’s of vital importance to be mindful of your children’s habits, placing medicines out of their reach and sight every time you use them, storing medicines in a medication lock box and not overlooking cannabis packaging. Continue reading to find some of the best ways to store your medicines safely.
Table of Contents
1. Take a Walk
Walk around your home while taking note of areas where your child cannot easily reach or see and find the best place to store medicines out of the children’s sight. Any medicine can be dangerous if it is taken by the wrong person or in the wrong way. The medicines bought without a prescription (known as over-the-counter medicines) can be equally dangerous.
Therefore, the best place to store medicines is in a medication lock box, on top of the refrigerator, in an upper cabinet, or on the closet’s highest shelf. Since medicines require a steady temperature and low humidity, it’s not advisable to store them below, which is usually damp and warm.
2. Put Medicines Out of Sight After Each Use
Instead of keeping prescriptions or medicines lined up on the counter, set reminders on your phone, use a medicine planner or write notes to yourself. Leaving medicines out in plain view with young children in the house is like waiting for an accident to happen.
The same applies to children’s medicine – even if your child is sick and you expect he/she will need another dose in a few hours, never leave the medicine out on a kitchen counter or at a sick child’s bedside. Always put every medicine away every time you use it, including those you use every day.
Remember that children are curious and can put anything in their mouths. Even if you turn your back for less than a minute, they can quickly get into things that could hurt them.
3. Ensure an Efficient Cannabis Packaging
In today’s world, children are growing up really fast and know about things that could harm them at an early age. The same holds for cannabis.
Many states have legalized cannabis as an alternative to prescription medications, but that doesn’t mean cannabis use is without risks. Incidents of child pot poisonings occur when young children accidentally ingest medical marijuana or cannabis-containing edibles. Such incidents add responsibility for medical cannabis-using adults to lock up their medication securely. Besides children and teens, pets could end up consuming these products. Thus, medication lock boxes are paramount for cannabis safety.
Since medical cannabis and cannabis-containing edibles pose a threat to children’s health and well-being, just like any other medicine, they should be securely locked up and kept out of reach to prevent accidental ingestion and poisoning.
4. Make Sure the Safety Cap Is Locked
Always listen to the “click,” which comes from the child safety cap when it’s locked in place until you can’t twist anymore. It would help if you remembered that although locking caps are child-resistant, they aren’t childproof. Since children may find a way to open them, keep them away and out of sight. A study conducted at the Long Island Poison Center found locking caps to be no better than ordinary caps at preventing child poisoning.
5. Use A Medication Lock Box
The only way to protect children from accidental poisoning or fatal medication overdose is to securely lock up medications, including cannabis, and keep them stored out of reach and out of sight from curious children.
Not only can a medication lock box secure medicines, it can also be a valuable asset when traveling. At home, it will secure prescriptions and over-the-counter medications for children. Moreover, it can secure your medications and other valuables in your hotel room or wherever you stay. You can also use a medication lock box to secure jewelry and cash to give you extra peace of mind while you travel.
6. Tell Children About Medicine Safety
Apart from taking steps to safeguard medicines, preach what you practice. Take some time out to explain to children what medicines are and why only you or a caregiver should handle it. According to the CDC, even if children do not like to take their medicines, never tell them that medicine is a candy as a means to get them to take it.
7. Tell Guests About Medicine Safety
Always remind guests to keep their bags or coats with medicines in them up and away and out of sight of children in your home. Also, be sure to keep those purses, bags, or coats away from your child.
8. Be Prepared in Case of An Emergency
Caring for children requires a strong support network, and medicine safety is no different. Family members or visitors should always keep tabs on their medications. They should take precautionary measures to reduce medication poisonings and know how to respond to suspected poisoning.
You should save the Poison Help number (800-222-1222) in all of your phones, so you have it when you need it and make sure it’s available for your child’s babysitter or caregiver. Call them immediately if you think your child might have gotten into a medicine or vitamin, even if you are not completely sure. The helpline connects callers to an especially trained pharmacist, nurse, or doctor who can guide during a poison emergency.
To ensure your child’s safety with a strong packaging of your medications, make sure to visit our website today!
Author Bio:
Jack Finkelstein has expertise of twenty five years within the field of sales and sales management within the market of the USA. and North American nation. With Med-lock he’s managing the one-stop search expertise for cannabis packaging. Jack has been connected with an in depth contact list of enormous U.S. and Canadian retailers for quite twenty five years currently.
