Parents Everywhere – Keep Medicines Up and Away

January 3rd, 2012 2:28 pm ET - .

Emily Skor, Vice President, Communications and Alliance Development, Consumer Healthcare Products Association

Author - Emily Skor
Vice President, Communications and Alliance Development,
Consumer Healthcare Products Association

Nothing is more important for a parent than their children’s safety and well-being. As a mother of two young children, I know that we parents appreciate every reminder we can get as we juggle busy lives and balance many responsibilities. One reminder that rings true for me – keep medicines and vitamins up and away and out of sight of children, every time you use them.

Each year over 60,000 children under the age of five go to the emergency rooms because of unsupervised medicine ingestions. Parents can take action to protect their children from an accidental overdose of medicine by storing medicine safely, up and away and out of sight. This is the theme of an educational program launched recently by CDC and the Consumer Healthcare Products Association Educational Foundation as part of CDC’s PROTECT initiative, which works with leading safety experts to develop strategies for keeping our children safe.

Medicines and vitamins help families feel well and stay well, but children are curious and they are not discerning if they see a bottle on the counter. As we kick off a new year, talk to your children about what medicine is and why you must be the one to give it to them. Remind babysitters, houseguests and visitors to keep purses and bags that have medicines in them up and away and out of sight. Store medicines out of reach, and program the poison control center number into your home and cell phones, so you have it should you need it (1-800-222-1222).

The makers of over-the-counter (OTC) medicines want parents and caregivers to use and store medicines responsibly. For more information on the safe and appropriate use of all OTC medicines, including free brochures, online articles from medical experts, instructions for reading a Drug Facts label, and resources from other organizations, visit http://www.otcsafety.org/.

Emily Skor
Vice President, Communications and Alliance Development, Consumer Healthcare Products Association