USAG Stuttgart Safety Office
Medicines and vitamins can help families stay healthy, but children are curious; to keep them safe, parents and caregivers must practice safe medicine storage. Medicines and vitamins should always be put out of a child’s reach and sight each time they are used.
The following tips can help:
Store medicines in a safe location that is too high for young children to reach or see.
• Never leave medicine or vitamins out on a kitchen counter or at a sick child’s bedside, even if you have to give the medicine again in a few hours.
• Always relock the safety cap on a medicine bottle. If it has a locking cap that turns, twist it until you hear the click.
• Tell children what medicine is and why you must be the one to give it to them.
• Never tell children medicine is candy so they’ll take it, even if your child does not like to take medicine.
• Remind babysitters, house guests and visitors to keep purses, bags or coats that have medicines in them away and out of sight when they are in your home.
To contact the Poison Control Center Europe for emergencies or with questions about poisonings, call 00-800-444-88-444. The number is toll free from either a cell phone or home phone. The Poison Control Center can also be reached by calling DSN 486-7070/civ. 06371-86-7070.
For more information, visit the National Capital Poison Center website at www.poison.org