Every parent wants to take the best care possible of their children. As September is Child Safety Month I thought I would take the time to show you the best way to store medications and vitamins so that your children do not have access to them. A friend of mine originally told me to use a toolbox; I have modified this to make the system as detailed and safe as possible.
Supplies:
2 Toolboxes (I used Stanley 24” toolboxes, currently $9.77 each at my local Walmart)
2 locks (I used Master Lock 40 mm Laminated Padlocks 2 pack, $10.97 at my local Walmart)
2 ea 4x6 manila envelopes
Duct tape
Sharpie
1 post it pad
1 pencil
All your prescriptions and vitamins
· I picked the toolboxes I did by first gathering together all our medications and vitamins. Then I divided them into 2 groups: 1. Child/infant appropriate and 2. Adults only. Then I decided that I wanted to have one back up to each item in our boxes to avoid running out in the event of an emergency. (I’ve learned from one too many trips to the ER in the middle of the night for ear infections that it is better to have one extra than one that runs out when you need it the most). Really all you are looking for is: A. Will everything fit, B. Does it have a hole for the padlock and C. Something that will not break the bank, but is sturdy.
··The padlocks I chose because it came in a pack of 2 and had 2 keys that fit both locks. This way my husband and I could both carry one on our key chains and not have to worry about the kids getting a hold of them.
and
Print Outs (These are my favorite ones that I use):
· Basic Medical Info:
http://printables.yourway.net/home-management-notebook/basic-medical-information/
·· You are going to want to have basic medical information on each person in your family. Each printout has enough for 7 family members under the same insurance policy.
· Emergency Info:
http://printables.yourway.net/home-management-notebook/emergency-information/
··Print 3 copies; one for each toolbox and one for your fridge. If you already have something similar on your fridge already you can just make 2 copies and put one in each toolbox.
· Medication Information:
http://printables.yourway.net/home-management-notebook/prescription-supplement-information/
··Print one for each family member.
· Symptom/Medicine Tracker:
http://printables.yourway.net/home-management-notebook/medicine-tracker/
··This is a great way to keep track of everything from temperatures, medications given, etc… I have found it is much easier to go to the doctor with a log of everything than to try and recall everything on the spot. I keep a couple of these in each toolbox.
· Brochure of what to do in the case of poisoning http://www.poison.org/prevent/documents/Engl%20Brochure%202005.pdf
···I like the Life Your Way printables because they are simple and straight forward. When it comes to something that could potentially be life threatening I do not want all the cutesy stuff distracting me.
Directions:
- Cut 2 pieces of duct tape and place them somewhere on the front of your toolboxes. Take your sharpie and label one kids and the other adults (Or something similar).
For our toolboxes my husband’s items are really non threatening for kids. We have a separate toolbox just for my things. Because of my migraines and allergies the items that go into my box are by far things that need to be kept away.
- On the back tape 1 envelope to each with the flap side facing out.
- Fill out the forms for each person in the house. I filled it out one time and then photocopied them. 1 copy of each goes into each envelope. (I did this because in case of an emergency, if we are running out the door I wanted a copy of each in each toolbox to make it easier to grab and go. You can do this differently if you want to.) The brochure from poison control is a good resource to have on hand.
- On the outside of each envelope write 2 things: Important Medical Information & the phone number to poison control (make sure this number is also on your emergency contact list on the fridge).
- Load the toolboxes up.
I put infant dosing charts on the inside of mine as our youngest is only a year. (You can get this from the bottles themselves if your child is old enough or from your child’s pediatrician).
··When in doubt ALWAYS call your pediatrician. Also make sure that your pediatrician knows what your children are taking, the dose and how often. Never give your kids anything without your pediatricians okay.
On the bottom I put all our back up boxes and oversized items. On the top I put open items, syringes, dosing cups and a pencil. The pencil is important. On the top of our toolboxes are 2 compartments. In one I put extra batteries for items like our temporal scan thermometer and for our electric nose suction. In the other compartment I keep the post it pad so that as I use up an item I can write it down and I have a list for the next time I am at the store.
- Lock them up and store them in a place away from your children but is easily accessible.
··· If you are like me, I always buy infant & children’s ibuprofen whenever it is on sale. It is the one item that always is out of stock every time I need it. If you have more back ups than will fit into your toolboxes I recommend placing them in a nondescript box (so your children cannot tell what is in it) and placing it on the top shelf of your closet where your kids cannot reach it. My oldest is super smart and super curious so anytime I have to get into my back up back up supply I make sure they are at school or I close the door while getting them.
