Republished September 6, 2024
Who would ever make that mistake? Well, people do. A father told the babysitter to put his son's ear drops in his right ear before bed, and the careful babysitter did just that. She found ear drops labeled "put two drops in right ear" in the medicine cabinet, and instilled the ear drops into the child's right ear. But the family's dog also had a bottle of ear drops, which were the drops the babysitter used. The son's ear drops were in the refrigerator. Luckily, the child was not harmed by the dog's ear drops.
Here's what you can do: Mix-ups between pet's and children's medicines occur most often when they are stored together in the same place, such as a medicine cabinet. To prevent mix-ups, which could be serious, keep all pet medicines away from human medicines and food. Administering medicines to children is a job that requires some basic knowledge. If you must ask your babysitter to give medicine to your child, be sure to show them where the medicine is, how much to give, and how to give it. Never assume they will know what to do without your explicit instructions.
