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by Chelsea Day • Mar 26, 2013 Our posts feature partner companies.
Up and Away and Out of Sight
I remember in first grade, this poison control expert came to visit our classroom. She gave each of us a kit full of green Mr. Yuk stickers, along with pamphlets and educational materials to share with our parents about keeping children safe from poisons and accidental medication overdoses. As a seven-year-old, I was ALL over this. Safety became my mission and I decided it was my duty to protect my little sister from the poisons of the world. I stuck those stickers on every mysterious bottled item in our house, lecturing my mom on safety and hidden hazards. Then back when I was teaching third grade, the CDC came up with the (now…
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%20slogan:%20%E2%80%9CUp%20and%20Away%20and%20out%20of%20Sight.%E2%80%9D%20I%20educated%20parents%20on%20the%20proper%20protocol,%20encouraging%20them%20to%20keep%20their%20pill%20bottles%20out%20of%20children%E2%80%99s%20reach.%3C/p%3E%3Cp%3EThen%20I%20had%20children%20of%20my%20own,%20and%20I%20don%E2%80%99t%20know%20what%20the%20heck%20happened.%20Maybe%20it%E2%80%99s%20lack%20of%20sleep.%20Maybe%20it%E2%80%99s%20the%20overwhelming%20amount%20of%20medication%20that%20myself%20and%20my%20babies%20and%20my%20DOGS%20all%20seem%20to%20be%20on%20all%20at%20the%20same%20time.%20I%20got%20lazy.%20I%20stopped%20thinking%20about%20it%20and%20I%20let%20some%20pill%20bottles%20accumulate%20on%20the%20counter.%20They%20served%20as%20a%20reminder%20for%20me%20to%20take%20them,%20and%20I%20didn%E2%80%99t%20think%20there%20was%20any%20way%20that%20Some%20Boy%20could%20reach%20that%20far%20up.%3C/p%3E%3Cp%3ETurns%20out,%20he%20can%20reach%20that%20far%20up.%20He%20can%20reach%20that%20far%20up%20and%20pry%20the%20bottle%20off%20some%20old%20prenatal%20vitamins%20(so%20much%20for%20childproof%20lids)%20while%20I%E2%80%99m%20around%20the%20corner%20changing%20Sidekick%20for%20all%20of%20sixty%20seconds.%20That%E2%80%99s%20all%20it%20takes,%20and%20suddenly%20I%E2%80%99m%20finding%20my%20two-year-old%20with%20a%20mouth%20stuffed%20full%20of%20big%20green%20capsules,%20just%20itching%20to%20swallow%20and%20choke%20and%20suffocate%20and%20DIE.%20I%20don%E2%80%99t%20mean%20to%20be%20dramatic,%20but%20this%20is%20exactly%20what%20flashes%20through%20the%20mind%20of%20a%20panicked%20mother%20in%20these%20situations.%20I%20bolted%20to%20his%20side%20and%20gently%20explained%20that%20he%20needed%20to%20open%20his%20mouth,%20and%20then%20gave%20him%20a%20big%20thwack%20on%20the%20back.%20Those%20oversized%20green%20pills%20scattered%20across%20the%20table%20in%20front%20of%20him,%20followed%20by%20a%20welcome%20wailing%20and%20screeching%20and%20sobbing%20because%20%E2%80%93%20terrible%20mom%20that%20I%20am%20%E2%80%93%20I%20took%20away%20his%20treat.%3C/p%3E%3Cp%3EYou%20can%20guess%20where%20all%20those%20pill%20bottles%20are%20now,%20right?%20Up%20and%20away%20and%20out%20of%20sight.%20In%20a%20cabinet%20with%20a%20child-proof%20lock%20because,%20let%E2%80%99s%20face%20it,%20this%20kid%20is%20an%20acrobat.%3C/p%3E%3Cp%3EUp%20and%20Away%20and%20Out%20of%20Sight:%20Facts%20on%20Medication%20Safety%3C/p%3E%3Cp%3EI%20naturally%20beat%20myself%20up%20over%20the%20experience.%20How%20could%20I%20be%20so%20stupid?%20And%20I%20found%20%E2%80%93%20more%20scary%20than%20comforting%20%E2%80%93%20I%E2%80%99m%20not%20alone%20at%20all.%20Half%20a%20million%20parents%20call%20poison%20control%20every%20year%20because%20of%20medicine%20mismanagement.%2067,000%20kids%20are%20treated%20in%20the%20ER%20annually%20for%20medical%20poisoning.%20So%20statistically,%20I%20know%20that%20one%20of%20my%20readers%20is%20bound%20to%20need%20a%20gentle%20reminder:%20put%20your%20medicines%20up%20and%20away%20and%20out%20of%20sight.%20I%20know%20it%20can%20be%20tempting%20to%20have%20them%20at%20arm%E2%80%99s%20reach%20for%20your%20convenience%20but%20trust%20me,%20this%20is%20one%20risk%20that%E2%80%99s%20really%20not%20worth%20taking.%3C/p%3E%3Cp%3EIn%20addition%20to%20keeping%20medicines%20up%20and%20away%20and%20out%20of%20sight,%20follow%20these%20medication%20safety%20tips%20to%20help%20minimize%20the%20risk%20of%20poisoning%20in%20your%20home:%3C/p%3E%3Cp%3EConsider%20products%20you%20might%20not%20think%20of%20as%20medicine.%20Eye%20drops,%20vitamins,%20supplements%E2%80%A6these%20are%20all%20dangerous%20to%20children.%3C/p%3E%3Cp%3ERemind%20relatives%20and%20visitors%20to%20keep%20their%20medicine%20in%20a%20safe%20place.%20In%2043%25%20of%20medicine%20poisoning%20cases,%20the%20child%20got%20into%20a%20relative%E2%80%99s%20medicine.%3C/p%3E%3Cp%3ERead%20your%20child%E2%80%99s%20medication%20labels%20and%20ask%20your%20doctor%20before%20giving%20your%20child%20more%20than%20one%20medication%20at%20a%20time,%20as%20using%20medications%20with%20the%20same%20or%20similar%20ingredients%20can%20put%20your%20child%20at%20risk%20for%20an%20overdose.%3C/p%3E%3Cp%3EDisplay%20the%20poison%20control%20number%20prominently%20on%20your%20refrigerator%20and%20save%20it%20in%20your%20phone:%20888-222-1222.%3C/p%3E%3Cp%3EWhere%20do%20you%20store%20your%20family%E2%80%99s%20medicine,%20and%20how%20do%20you%20keep%20the%20kids%20from%20getting%20into%20it?%3C/p%3E%3Cp%3EI%20wrote%20this%20review%20while%20participating%20in%20a%20campaign%20for%20Mom%20Central%20Consulting%20on%20behalf%20of%20Safe%20Kids%20Worldwide%20and%20I%20received%20a%20promotional%20item%20to%20thank%20me%20for%20my%20participation.%3C/p%3E){kind=link}