Halloween is right around the corner and candy is packed on every store shelf, kitchen cabinet, and office candy dish. Also readily available are medicines in purses, cabinets, and counter tops. While this is a time of the year where families can come together in fun costumes and enjoy sweet treats, it is also a time for parents to remember the importance of safeguarding medications that may be easily accessible to their kids.
Whether they are prescription drugs or over-the-counter medications and vitamins, if ingested by a child, the effects can be devastating. Many medicines and candy can be difficult if not impossible to tell apart, making it easy for a child to mistake a pill for piece of candy and pop it in their mouth. To help prevent this, parents should keep their medications in a safe place not accessible to their children, like a medicine lock box. This is also an opportunity for parents to talk to their children about the dangers of taking medicines or other substance that did not come from their parents. Tips on what parents can say can be found in our Partnering With Families Booklet.
Can you tell the difference between candy and pills?
Test yourself at www.PillsVsCandy.com. If some of these make your think twice, imagine how easy it could be for a child to mistake the two.
