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Keeping Kids Safer at Home: Best Practices for Prescription and Over-The-Counter Medicine Storage

Oct 21, 2025
A person places a white first aid box with a red cross label on a high shelf in a cabinet. A potted plant sits above the cabinet in a wire basket, emphasizing safe and elevated medication storage.

Unintentional medication ingestions from both prescription and over-the-counter medicines remain a serious risk in U.S. households. In 2023, U.S. poison centers received over 2 million calls for poison exposures, 77% of which were unintentional. In children under age six, nearly all (99%) of these exposures were unintentional.

Even more concerning is the growing number of child deaths from poisoning cases. Among children younger than five, deaths increased from 41 in 2020 to 94 young child deaths in 2022. While most exposures do not cause serious symptoms and might be safely managed at home, the risks of a potentially dangerous exposure are real – and the outcomes can be tragic.

Young children explore their world by touching, tasting, and imitating adults. A brightly colored pill organizer on the counter or loose, candy-shaped pills within a purse can be easily grabbed by tiny hands. Proper storage is one of the simplest and most effective ways to reduce this risk.

Here are some ways parents and caregivers can keep children safer from medicines:

  • Store medicines up, away, and out of reach, ideally in a high location within a locked container or cabinet.
  • Keep medicines in their original containers. Although pill organizers or medicine travel packs may be more convenient for adults, removing medicines from their original, child-resistant containers can increase risk of accidental exposure.
  • Remind family and visitors to secure medicines when visiting. This includes grandparents and babysitters who may carry medicines in easily accessible bags and purses. Have a designated locked room, closet, or out-of-reach counter or hook to store guests’ bags.
  • Properly dispose of unused or expired medicines using pharmacy drop boxes or local take-back programs. Click here to find a location near you and learn more about the National Prescription Take Back Day on October 25, 2025.

If you think your child may have unintentionally swallowed medicine, call the national Poison Help Line immediately at 1-800-222-1222 to discuss how to care for your child and when to seek emergency care. Save the national Poison Help Line number (1-800-222-1222) in your phone and post it in a visible place in your home. The Poison Help Line provides free, confidential advice from experts, 24 hours per day, seven days per week.

Most pediatric medicine ingestions can be prevented with a few consistent habits in the home. By keeping medicines in their original containers, locked, out of sight, and properly disposed of, caregivers can drastically reduce the risk to children. Take a few minutes today to check your home and encourage family and visitors to do the same. These small steps now can help keep kids safer later.

To learn more about how to keep your kids safer at home, join Trainees for Child Injury Prevention (T4CIP) for a Day of Action on October 22, 2025 by following #StoreMedsSafe on social media and participating in a webinar with child injury experts from 2-3 p.m. Register for the webinar here

 

Featured Expert

Taylor White
Taylor White, MD

Taylor White is a pediatric emergency medicine physician at Nationwide Children's Hospital as well as a facilitator for the national group Trainees for Child Injury Prevention (T4CIP).

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700 Children’s® features the most current pediatric health care information and research from our pediatric experts – physicians and specialists who have seen it all. Many of them are parents and bring a special understanding to what our patients and families experience. If you have a child – or care for a child – 700 Children’s was created especially for you.