Medicine Cabinet Danger

From ABC: We have a warning for anyone with young children. Those child safety caps on medications in your cabinets might not work. Reporter Stephanie Harris took cameras into a kindergarten class for an eye opening experiment with five year olds.

They're supposed to keep kids out - but look. With their parent's permission we let the kids go at it with empty bottles. Walker opened his in just 12 seconds. Walker said, "I just kept turning it like this and then it just came right undone." So did Sophie.

Pharmacist Klista Najewicz said,"That's a little scary." Pharmacist Klista Najewicz says these are the same containers used for prescription narcotics. "like morphine or demerol or anything with codeine." Just a small amount can do a lot of damage to a child. A little more could kill them. Sydnee said, "I pulled it and spinned it at the same time."

(sot: Dr. Kirk Cumpston, Poison Control)
"Mom steps out of the room, dad steps out of the room, comes back find them in a bottle -- pills scattered all over." In our experiment most of the class did not get into the containers. (sot: child) "I wish I would pull it off."

But eight out of 24 or one-third of them did. On average it took less than a minute. "Of all these medicine bottles, the only one the kids couldn't open was this kroger brand ibuprofen where you have to line up the arrows and pop it open." (sot: dr. Kirk cumpston, poison control)
"I believe the standard is that 85% of a group of 200 children in that age group."

That is the Virginia definition of child resistant. It does not mean child proof. This lesson is for parents. (sot: dr. Kirk cumpston, poison control)
"keep them out of their reach." But we made sure the kids learned one too. "So should you get your medicine yourself? No."

They know medicine is not candy and this experiment is not to be repeated. "Your mommies or your daddies are allowed to give you medicine." What does bear repeating, child resistant does not mean child proof.

If you think your child has swallowed anything he or she shouldn't, call Poison Control right away. Dr. Cumpston says in most cases they do not recommend ipicac or any other form of inducing a child to vomit anymore.

He recommends you keep the hotline number near the phone. It's 1-800-222-12-22.

I have been negligent at times and my little one has grabbed a bottle of pills. I was shocked at how high he could climb! He was nowhere near opening the bottle, but it was an eye opener for me. Where do you keep your medication? Is it in a locked cabinet?

-NewsAnchorMom Jen

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