Q: I've heard that more toddlers are getting their hands on medicine they should not have access to. Is this a common problem?

Ask Our Expert About Keeping Children Away from Medications

About Our Expert

Jennifer Zambo, D.O, is an emergency medicine physician at Lehigh Valley Hospital.

• I’ve heard that more toddlers are getting their hands on medicine they should not have access to. Is this a common problem?
• How do children get their hands on the medicine?
• How should I store medications to keep them away from my child?
• How can I talk to my child’s babysitter about storing medications?
• How do I prevent accidents like this when visiting friends or relatives?
• What should I do if I think my child inadvertently took medicine?
• How will they be treated?
• Where should I take my child?
• My children are older. Do I still need to worry about locking my medicine cabinet?

Q: I’ve heard that more toddlers are getting their hands on medicine they should not have access to. Is this a common problem?

A: I see enough toddlers for this reason in the emergency room to concern me. And studies have shown this is a significant problem. For example, a report in 2003 by the U.S. Poison Control Centers found that children under age six accounted for nearly half of all cases where medicine was taken unintentionally. And a recent study from the Centers for Disease Control (CDC) found that an estimated 53,517 children under age four are treated each year for the problem. The good news is that most cases we see are not fatal, and most children recover without any problems.

Q: How do children get their hands on the medicine?

A: Children most often find pills or bottles left out on a nightstand, in a purse or in a drawer at home. Children under age four can easily open daily-use pillboxes often used by their grandparents or other containers without childproof lids. Once they have the medication in hand, young children naturally put it in their mouth.

Q: How should I store medications to keep them away from my child?

A: Here are some home safety tips I recommend to parents:

• Keep medicines high enough to be out of the child’s reach
• Lock your medicine cabinet
• Get down to a child’s level to see what they are looking at
• Invest in childproof locks for low cabinets and drawers
• Keep medicines in the childproof containers that they come in. Do not transfer them to other containers
• Close childproof caps completely when finished
• Never refer to medicine as candy or 'lollies'
• Throw away old medicines you are no longer using
• Keep visitors’ purses out of reach and closed

Q: How can I talk to my child’s babysitter about storing medications?

A: When taking your child to a babysitter, it is very important to know what types of medicines they have and where they are stored. Explain your concern—that your child could get her hands on medicine that is not locked away properly and have a bad reaction from it. Most caregivers will be happy to discuss the issue if they understand how it affects your child’s safety and your peace of mind. If their medicine is not stored properly, ask them to move it so that it is out of your child’s reach.

Q: How do I prevent accidents like this when visiting friends or relatives?

A: Your best bet is to find one or more rooms that are not exposed to medication and restrict your child to those rooms. This goes for other dangers as well, such as exposed light sockets. Again, move purses or backpacks to a secure place that is out of their reach, since people often keep medicine in their purse.

Q: What should I do if I think my child inadvertently took medicine?

A: Do not give them anything to eat or drink and do not force them to throw up. Try to determine what type of medicine they took and call poison control immediately. You can find the phone number in the phone book, so keep it handy. Poison control often can give you advice and tell you whether or not your child is in danger.

Next, take your child to the closest emergency department along with the medicine bottle. If you’re not sure which medicine she took, gather all of the pill bottles and boxes and bring them with you to the emergency department. That way, the physician can run the appropriate tests to identify which medicine your child may have taken.

Q: How will they be treated?

A: Treatment varies depending on the type of medicine and seriousness of the exposure. They may need to be transferred to a Pediatric Intensive Care Unit (PICU) or a 'toxicology' center where they specialize in treating people who are poisoned.

Q: Where should I take my child?

A: You should take her to the closest emergency room. Lehigh Valley Hospital has the only trauma center in the area with a qualification in pediatric trauma and the area’s only Pediatric Intensive Care Unit (PICU), which allows for immediate access to superb specialty resources needed in life-threatening situations.

Q: My children are older. Do I still need to worry about locking my medicine cabinet?

A: Once children are four years old, they can better understand what is unsafe. At this point, you can teach them to stay away from pill containers and medicine cabinets. But it is still a good idea to keep your medicine locked away.

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