Accidental child medicine poisoning still a big problem
by Claudia Boyd-Barrett posted in Parenting
To keep your child safe from accidental medicine poisoning, store medicines out of sight and out of reach, even if the packaging says it's child resistant, a new report urges parents.
Kids under 6 go to the emergency room every 9 minutes, and a child dies every 12 days because of accidental medicine poisoning, according to the report released today by the non-profit advocacy group Safe Kids Worldwide.
That's despite a 25 percent decrease in emergency room visits for accidental child medicine poisoning between 2010 and 2015, the report said. The ongoing problem comes as the purchase of prescription and over-the-counter medicines has reached an all-time high.
Parents under age 24, and those living in urban areas were less likely than older parents and those in rural areas to report safe storage practices, according to survey results detailed in the study.
Safe Kids Worldwide offered these pointers for parents:
? Child resistant doesn't mean child-proof: Child-resistant packaging can help delay your child getting into medicine, but doesn't prevent it. In fact, it's estimated about half of accidental medicine poisonings involve kids that found a way into child-resistant packaging. To ensure this doesn't happen, store medicines out of reach (above counter height) and out of sight (such as in a high cabinet).
? Supervision is not enough: Many parents whose children are poisoned by medicine insist they only stopped watching their ki...
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