We had been chatting for a few minutes over the phone when an old friend told me a horror story about a toddler who nearly died from drinking eye drops. It sounded like fiction – I had no clue over-the-counter eye drops could be dangerous – but the story was true and it happened to her. We both cried for her sweet baby and for the trauma their family endured. Despite being an amazing mother and doing all the things we’re told to do to keep our kids happy and safe, my friend hadn’t considered the bottle of eye drops she kept in her purse in case the dry Vegas heat irritated her sensitive eyes. She never imagined the little bottle would tempt her curious son and he would end up sucking the entire contents into his itty bitty body. Lucky for him, my friend called Poison Control immediately who told her to rush him to the hospital and, although the hours and days after the accident were a nightmare, her son ended up being okay.
In the Blink of an Eye
Are eye drops poison? No, they’re not… but they are medicine with ingredients that can be harmful when not used in keeping with the directions found on the labels. After we cried and expresses immense gratitude that her son had recovered from this insane accident, she said something to me that took my breath away…
“Vanessa, I’m not telling you so can you feel sorry for us. Our lives changed in the blink of an eye. Your son is just like mine, and if this can happen to me, it can happen to you. Make sure all your medicine is far away from him always.”
How to Store Medicines Safely
Parents play a critical role in preventing accidental medication ingestions. Just by practicing safe medicine storage, we’re working towards keeping our kids safe. Parents can teach their children what medicine actually is and reinforce that only a parent or caregiver should give it to them. And, although many of us utilize this tactic to get our kids to comply, we should never tell our children that medicine, including vitamins, are candy. It just isn’t a safe message to be sending.
Did you know…
- According to Safe Kids Worldwide, “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).
- According to Safe Kids, “Children under 5 are at greatest risk for unintentional medication poisonings. 38% of child poisoning involves a grandparent’s medication.
What You Can Do
The story above is heart-wrenching. Those parents can be any one of us – loving, committed and super busy. As I watched the video, I thought of my friend and her sweet boy who could have suffered the unthinkable if not for mom’s quick action. I also think about my adventurous son who struggles with impulse control and still, at the age of 7, touches everything and sticks stuff in his mouth. Poison prevention is truly a consideration for all families.
National Poison Prevention Week is March 17-23, 2019!!! I love initiatives like this because they’re the perfect opportunity to set aside time to double check our medicines storage system. Are the medicines safely up, away and out of sight and reach of our kids? It’s time to check! Here are a few things you can do right now to prevent an accident with your kids:
- UP: find an upper cabinet that the kids don’t use or have access to
- AWAY: store medicines away from kids’ reach and in their original, child-resistant containers
- OUT of SIGHT: don’t use tempting language to describe or within eyesight of kids
Remember that this isn’t just an important issue at home but also when we’re traveling or when we keep medicines in our suitcase or purse. Safe medicine storage is also something to consider when staying with friends or families, especially grandparents! Check out Up & Away for more information and tips and keep Poison Control Centers’ phone number easily accessible in your home and saved into your cell phones:
Poison Control Center: 1(800-222-1222)
This story is sponsored and I am a blogging ambassador for the CHPA Educational Foundation’s KnowYourOTCs program. All opinions are my own.
