Medication Safety for Children
Tips and tools on how to keep medication away from children
All Children’s and Infants TYLENOL® products are sold in child-resistant packaging only. As part of our ongoing efforts to help reduce the potential for accidental overdose of acetaminophen – the active ingredient in TYLENOL® - all Adult TYLENOL® products have child resistant packaging, except for TYLENOL® EZO bottles.
TYLENOL® “EZO” bottle
Children have little sense of what is safe and unsafe. Especially when it comes to understanding the dangers of medication. In an effort to help parents and caregivers prevent an accidental ingestion, the following section offers advice and recommendations on how to keep medication out of the reach of children.
10 ways to help keep medication out of the reach of children
1. Store medication in a locked cabinet — The safest place to store medication is out of the sight and reach of children. This can be a high cabinet or a closet, and it should be locked at all times.
2. Use child-resistant caps for added security — If you have children in your house, all medication containers should have child-resistant caps. However, medication should still be stored in a locked location, such as a high cabinet or closet.
3. Don't rely on child-resistant packaging alone — Bear in mind that child-resistant doesn't mean childproof. This means that a determined child may find a way to open even the most secure bottle caps.
4. Keep medication in its original container — Don't switch containers for pills and liquids, otherwise they could be mistaken for something else. Also, do not use medication if the container doesn't have a label or the label isn't legible.
5. Take medication with you if you're called away — If you get called to the phone or front door while you're administering medication to yourself or your child, don't leave the container behind where your child could get a hold of it.
6. Replace lids and return medication to its storage place — It may be tempting to leave medication out if you're going to take another dose again soon. But children act quickly, so even medication left out for a moment can be dangerous.
7. Carefully discard unused medication — Don’t flush. Don’t pour down a sink or drain. For more details on smart safety disposal, visit http://www.medicationsreturn.ca/programs_en.php
8. Do not refer to medication as candy — Getting your child to take his medication by making him think it's candy can be very dangerous because most children will seek out candy. It is safer to help your child understand that medication is medication by calling it by its proper name.
9. Be careful of purses and bags — Remember to keep your purse and diaper bag out of your child's reach. Also, be careful about guests' purses, overnight bags, and suitcases, because they may contain medication.
10. Unpack medication from grocery bags first — A bottle of coated pills can look like candy to a young child. So you should remove medication from grocery bags and store it safely in case your child starts investigating the bags.
What do to if you suspect your child has ingested some medication
If you suspect an unintentional poisoning has occurred you can find the number of your local poison control center here: Canadian Association of Poison Control Centres. If the victim is unconscious, not breathing or having a seizure, call 911.
