CHARLOTTE, N.C. — Whether it's a hurt back or migraines, a lot of us end up with medicine cabinets full of prescription bottles that even under the most watchful eye could leave our kids at risk.
Every year, more than 1 million kids under the age of 6 accidentally take prescription medicine. That number, from the National Poison Control Center, is terrifying, but there are steps you can take to help lower your toddler's risk of stumbling across a pill bottle. Even some hospitals are getting in on the idea.
"As we know with smaller children, as they're starting to crawl and walk, they're very curious so they pick things up, they put things in their mouth," said Jeanne Marraffa, clinical director of the Upstate Poison Center in New York. "That's just what they do."
The poison center Marraffa works at is piloting a program to help keep kids safe from medication. Patients who come to the hospital for poison-related cases will be given lockboxes. The idea is to keep medicine in these boxes that can only be unlocked using a special code.
The good news is you don't have to be part of this pilot program to get one. You can find something similar online from Amazon or even at Walmart. Emergency room doctors say it's a no-brainer, and that keeping medication locked up from little ones could save lives.
"Some people may not even know that it's an option, so if you're hearing this, go purchase one. They're relatively inexpensive," said Tyler Greenfield, director of the Pediatric Emergency Department.
The boxes in the program are big enough to hold several medication bottles or even one of those weekly pill dispensers.