UW Health: Accidental child poisoning prevention tips
MILWAUKEE - UW Health's emergency department wants to prevent accidental poisoning of kids, March 26 marking the end of National Poison Prevention Week.
From 2020 to 2021, UW Health 175 poisoning cases – including 147 of kids under 5 years old. Experts say ways to keep children safe include storing medicine safely, disposing of it properly and knowing there are resources available 24 hours a day.
"If you're going to be giving a medicine to a child, make sure that you take a timeout, verify that it's the right product, verify that it's the right dose," said UW Health Children's Hospital Pharmacist Nick Zetes. "When you don't need it anymore, store it up, out of the way, out of sight, out of reach. And then when it's not needed any more, dispose of it properly."
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UW Health experts recommend the following guidelines from Safe Kids Worldwide:
- Pills can look like candy to small children, so keep all medicine out of their reach and sight.
- Remember that child-resistant packaging is not child-proof; put medicine away after every use.
- As your kid learns and grows, you will need to assess and change where you keep the medicine because they are more mobile and curious.
- Share medicine safety information with family and friends. When kids have a babysitter or others visiting the home, it is important all the adults know how to keep kids safe around medicine.
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