A part of medicine safety that isn’t always talked about is how to properly store medicines in the home. The 50^th anniversary of Poison Prevention Week just wrapped up on March 24, and Congress intended this event as a means for local communities to raise awareness of the dangers of unintentional poisonings and to take such preventive measures as the dangers warrant. While there’s no such thing as a completely childproof home or medicine cabinet, here are 10 steps you can take to help keep your children from finding medicines and accidentally ingesting them:

1. Keep medicines and vitamins up and away—out of sight and reach of children
   Choose an elevated place that’s also cool and dry. Exposing medicines to excess heat and moisture may cause them to lose their effectiveness or even turn toxic before the indicated expiration date. And make sure to put every medicine and vitamin away every time you use them.
2. Lock medicine cabinets or any place where medicines are stored
   Toddlers may be able to slide a chair or step stool over to reach a medicine cabinet that’s high up, so keeping it locked is a good extra precaution. If you leave the cabinet unattended, be sure to lock it in between retrieving a medicine and putting it back.
3. Keep medicines in their original child-resistant containers
   Remember that child-resistant does not mean childproof.  But keeping medicines in their original containers helps ensure that you’re taking (or giving) the right medication, and the packaging contains important information like correct dosage, expiration dates and guidelines for proper disposal. Should your child accidently ingest medicine, having the original containers on hand will help emergency personnel assess risk since the capacity of the bottle can help them estimate how much of the medicine your child may have taken.
4. If you like to keep your medicines in a pill box, use a locking pill box such as the “Ezy Dose Locking Pill Box Reminder” shown below.  This will make it difficult for your young child to get access to the drugs. 
5. Re-lock safety caps on medicine bottles after each use
   Do this even if you use the medicine frequently. Avoiding the complications from accidentally ingested medicines is well worth the small inconvenience of having to repeatedly unlock and re-lock bottles.
6. Do not keep medicines in purses or coat pockets, and advise houseguests—especially grandparents—to do the same
   Curious children have amazing capabilities of getting into things, and it’s easy to lose track of them when entertaining guests. Take the steps necessary to ensure your little explorers won’t find anything that can harm them! If visitors must keep the medicines in their bags or purses, make sure they’re not left on the floor or low surfaces where kids can reach.
7. Make sure children know that they’re not supposed to take medicines without supervision and never refer to medicine as candy
   Take extra care with over-the-counter (OTC) medicines for children such as liquid pain and fever relievers. Never let children use empty medicine containers as toys for their doctor kits.
8.  Dispose of expired medicine immediately
   Check the packaging – the expiration date should be printed clearly on it. I usually tell parents to read the package insert to see how the medicine should be disposed of: is it safe to flush? Does it need to be dropped off at a “take–back” program (many pharmacies offer these)? If it can be thrown, be sure to mix with pet litter, cooking oil or dirt to make it undesirable in case it is found in the trash. A great product coming soon to your local drug store is called “Medsaway.” This item will safely neutralize all drugs so that they can be safely thrown away in your trash. I will let you know when you can find it in stores!
9. Be prepared in case of an emergency and know the Poison Control Center Helpline (1-800-222-1222 in the U.S)
   Store it in your cell phone and post it somewhere visible in the house, preferably near the telephone or with your emergency contact list. Don’t forget to make sure babysitters and other caretakers know this number!
10. If you have small children and see them with pills in their hands, always assume they ingested the medicine and call poison control immediately

Keep these tips in mind but remember that when it comes to keeping your kids safe from accidents (whether medicine-related or not) nothing beats a watchful eye. I welcome your tips!

-Susan