Published:
January 13, 2023
Parents spend a lot of time and effort to make sure their children are safe, from carefully childproofing their homes to researching the safest, family-friendly vehicles. But surprisingly, many parents are improperly medicating their children without even knowing it.
Data shows that more than 63,000 children under the age of 6 experience out-of-hospital medication errors each year. That means every eight minutes a child is improperly medicated, with medication errors happening more often with infants and toddlers.
Even the most careful parents and caregivers can inadvertently make a mistake that, while rarely serious, can lead to the need for medical intervention. The most common ways in which children are improperly medicated include:
- Double-dosing, or accidentally giving the same medication twice
- Giving incorrect dosages
- Confusing units of measure
- Administering the wrong medication altogether
- A child eating or drinking medicine while unsupervised
By keeping medication safety top of mind, you can help prevent medication mistakes with your children. Here are six simple safety steps you can take:
1. Read Carefully
Before giving medication to your child, be sure to read all of the instructions thoroughly. This includes reading the correct measurements (ex: 5mL vs. 5 teaspoons), and understanding the correct dosage for your child’s weight and age.
Drug labels will also include information about the age a child must be to safely take the medication. For instance, many cough and cold medicines aren’t safe for children under 4, and sometimes even 6 years of age. Babies under 6 months old may not be given ibuprofen, only acetaminophen (Tylenol). Never give a child medicine if they do not meet the minimum age requirements.
2. Use the Proper Dosing Tools
Eight out of 10 medication errors involve liquid medications like cough syrup. Always use the measuring device included with the product, such as a dosing cup or oral syringe. If there is not one included, ask your pharmacist for one. Never use a household utensil such as a kitchen spoon for administering medication—they simply aren’t accurate. And while it may seem obvious, never let your children drink medicine directly from a bottle.
3. Keep Medicine Up, Away, and Out of Sight
Keep all household medications in one location out of your child’s reach, and return them to this safe spot after every use. Finding and eating or drinking medicine is the main cause of emergency department visits in children under 5, with nearly 70 percent of these involving 1 to 2-year-olds. To prevent your child from seeking out medicine, never tell your child that medicine is candy to persuade them to take it.
4. Keep a Medication Log
In order to prevent double-dosing, write down the time, dosage, and type of medication given every time you give your child medicine. This is especially useful when several people assist in your child’s care and ensures all caregivers are on the same page.
5. Use Antibiotics Correctly
Antibiotics are only useful in fighting against bacteria, not viruses. While your child might have a cold or the flu, requesting antibiotics from their doctor is unnecessary and potentially harmful. If your child is prescribed an antibiotic for a bacterial illness or infection, it’s important that they take every dose as prescribed. Never stop doses early and save antibiotics for later.
6. Understand the Active Ingredients in Medications
It’s important to read all of the active ingredients in any medicine you give your children. You should never give your child two medications that have the same active ingredient within the same dosage window. For instance, if you’ve given your child Motrin (with the active ingredient ibuprofen), you can’t safely give them a cold medication that contains ibuprofen within the same timeframe.
In some cases, such as when you’re trying to help bring down a high fever in your child, you may choose to alternate between acetaminophen and ibuprofen if one medication isn’t working sufficiently. The reason? These medications are eliminated from the body using different organs—so doubling up won’t cause a strain on your child’s liver or kidneys.
Keeping a log when giving different types of medications is important to help you stay on a safe and correct schedule. Acetaminophen can usually be given every four hours, while ibuprofen can be administered every six to eight hours. Always contact your children’s provider or pharmacist if you have questions about whether it is safe to mix certain medications.
By following these safety tips, you can reduce the risk of improperly medicating your child. Always ask your health-care provider or pharmacist for information about your child’s medications in terms you can clearly understand, and contact them if you have any questions.
Call your poison control center at 1-800-222-1222 right away if you think your child might have gotten into a medicine or vitamin, even if you are not completely sure.