Republished March 21, 2024
Out of the corner of your eye, you catch your toddler drinking from his older brother's bottle of liquid medicine. You quickly call Poison Help (1-800-222-1222). But when they ask you how much medicine your child took, you frantically realize that you don't really know.
Even parents who know the basic rules of how to prevent accidental poisonings, such as keeping medicines out of children's reach and saving the Poison Help number to their phone, may not know how much liquid medicine a child has taken. Here's a simple solution: Mark the level of liquid medicine after each use by drawing a line on the label. Then, if a child accidentally drinks the contents, you will know how much is missing. This information will help determine whether or not you need to take your child needs emergency care.
Also, never tell your child the liquid medicine is a special drink or juice. Most medicines are made to taste good so children will take them. However, even if the medicine tastes bad, don't let your guard down. Children have been known to drink whole bottle of a medicine even though it tasted awful!
