After my baby was born I was so worried. She seemed so tiny and fragile and I was pretty paranoid that any little thing may harm her? This was especially the came with my first born. I was worried she was going to get her arm stuck in the crib slats and alert about every little thing… Is all the crying normal? Why is she sleeping so long? Did she stop breathing??

You know what I’m talking about. You’ve been there I’m sure. Or will be if you haven’t yet. Then you’ll remember this post and go ‘Oh yea, Jennifer warned me.’

You’d things would get better as your kids get older but your worries just evolve. Is she going to choke on the banana? Where did that outlet plug go? Is she going to roll over on her stomach and suffocate?

You’d think things get better with a second child but your worries are just different. What if he falls (again)? Is a double lock and a childproof door handle enough to keep him from running outside?

We’ll do whatever it takes to keep our babies safe. And sometimes it isn’t until an accident happens that we realize where we went wrong.

We remembered to lay them on their backs, cut the banana, insert the plastic stoppers into the electrical plugs and attach the childproof door handles. But do we remember to keep our medicine away?

This week is National Poison Prevention Week and it’s given me a reason to stop and reevaluate how we’re doing. Last year I made a video with tips safely storing medicine. How are we doing? Well, I can say that we still keep our medicine up high, and out of bags that the kids can reach. But we have still had a couple of mishaps and close calls.

Lil’ J found one of my husband’s blue pills (A SLEEPING PILL… Not the other kind thank you very much) in the garage and gave it to me. I noticed it was wet and asked her why. She had a guilty look on her face so I knew she had tried to eat it, probably thinking it was candy.

I was so upset. Accidents happen, I get it. I know I’ve been up late with sick kids and left medicine out on the counter and felt bad when I realized it the next morning. But even we have to be more careful.

Every single day about 60,000 children go to the ER because of accidental medicine ingestion. Seriously, that’s 4 school bus loads of kids heading to the ER every day just for this reason.

Let’s not become a part of this statistic. Set some time aside this week to do a clean sweep of your house and check and make sure all of your medicine is stored safely. I’m checking the bottom of my pantry today and my husband just vacuumed the garage. Save the number for poison control in your phone (800-222-1222) and/or keep it posted in a cabinet. Also keep in mind these tips for when you’re traveling or have family visiting.

We love our babies so much, and have worked so hard to keep them safe so far, let’s keep this danger in mind too.

You got this!

Here’s my video with some safe medicine storage reminders.

How are you doing with your medicine storage? Be honest!

Already handled? In honor of National Poison Prevention Week, share a pic of your medicine cabinet or safe storage in your linen closets on Instagram. If you do so and follow, then tag @KnowYourOTCs and use #MedsUpAway anytime between now and March 25, you will automatically be entered to win a $100 VISA gift card. The winner will be randomly chosen and announced on @KnowYourOTCs Instagram on Wednesday March 30. I’m proud to be a blogging ambassador for the CHPA Educational Foundation’s KnowYourOTCs program, and share my opinions on this important topic with you.

Tags: child safety, kyotcs, parenting tips