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How to stow away medicine from little explorers in your home

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Young girl spilling medicine

Children are curious, so it's natural they would be even more curious when it comes to medication. Even more alluring, many medications look and taste like candy.

While it’s important to encourage our kids to explore and discover new things, we want to be careful to keep them safe when it comes to medication.

Here are a few tips to show you how:

Consider places where kids get into medicine. This covers all sorts of places, like purses and nightstands. (In 67 percent of cases, medicine is within reach of a child, such as in a purse, left on a counter or dresser or even on the ground.)

Consider products you might not think about as medicines. Most parents know to store medicine up and away, or at least the products considered to be medicine. But they don't always think about items such as diaper-rash remedies or eye drops, which can cause harm.

Use the dosing device that accompanies the medicine. Proper dosing is important, particularly for young children. Use the device that comes with the medicine. Kitchen spoons aren't all the same, and teaspoons and tablespoons for cooking aren't the same measurements as dosing devices. Program the toll-free number for Florida's Poison Control Centers, 1-800-222-1222, into your home and cell phone. You should also post it near your phone or on your refrigerator for the babysitter. Hopefully you'll never need it, but it's good to have just in case. 

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Related resources

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    Safe Kids Palm Beach County

    Local child safety information and assistance, including car seat installation, bike helmet fitting, poisoning prevention, TV tip-over prevention and more

    561-841-3500 ext. 4011 Website
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    Safe Kids Worldwide

    National resources to protect children from preventable injuries

    202-662-0600 Website
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    Florida's Poison Control Centers

    Hotline for poisoning emergencies or related information and resources in Florida

    800-222-1222 Website