Gifts Aren't the Only Thing to Hide This Holiday Season

The holiday season can be a time consumed with details.

Are the presents wrapped? Did you leave the oven on? Tell the mail carrier you're heading out of town?

While holiday chaos is part of what makes the season wonderful, it can be too easy to lose sight of more important things--like making sure young children don't wander off and get into things they shouldn't. That's why the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) and partners in the Up and Away and Out of Sight campaign are reminding parents to keep household medicines out of children's reach and sight.

In a recent study, my CDC colleagues and I found that about 640,000 young kids ended up in the ER from 2004 through 2013 because they found and swallowed medicine while an adult wasn't looking. Of those children, more than 118,000 had to be hospitalized--that's 32 children every day.*

The good news is that the number of related ER visits has fallen each year since 2010 thanks to a number of efforts, including safer packaging for medicines. For example, makers of over-the-counter medicines have introduced flow restrictors to infants' and children's liquid acetaminophen to help reduce the risk of accidental ingestions. However, no packaging is "child-proof," so it's important to always practice safe medicine storage.

This season, whether you're at home or on the road, remember there are simple things parents and caregivers can do to keep kids safe:

Find a safe storage spot. Wherever the holiday takes you, find the best place to store medicines up and away and out of sight of young children. This might be a high kitchen cabinet or on the top shelf of a closet. When staying with family and friends, don't be shy about asking for a safe storage location--different families might have different safe storage locations. And if you're in a hotel room, secure medicines in a high cabinet or passcode-protected safe.

Be a helpful host. Most grandparents don't arrive with just gifts in their bags. Show them a safe place to store their medicines, and make sure they use it. Keep in mind that any guest visiting your home for holiday cheer could have medicines in a purse, bag, or coat, so store those up and away too.

Pack smart. When packing for your holiday trip, keep medicines in their original child-resistant containers whenever possible; other containers like pill-organizers and plastic bags can be easily opened by children.

These steps can go a long way toward making sure your kids are safe--even when you're merrily maxed out.

You can reach a poison center 24/7 by dialing 1-800-222-1222. Call right away if you think your child might have gotten into medicine. Learn more about safe medicine storage at UpandAway.org .

*Trends in Emergency Department Visits for Unsupervised Pediatric Medication Exposures, 2004-2013. Maribeth C. Lovegrove, Nina J. Weidle, and Daniel S. Budnitz. Pediatrics 2015; 136:e821-e829.