6 yr old gave 4 yr old medicine

greenfire

Thu, Dec 26 2013, 5:36 pm

the appropriate punishment would be for the mother ... for not keeping medicine out of children's reach !!!

for the 6 year old - explain to him the dangers of taking medicine without an adult to supervise the amounts & that he should never give it to anybody ever again - case closed

PAMOM

Thu, Dec 26 2013, 5:39 pm

This is not the fault of the 6- yr-old, though I understand your feeling that the older child should be responsible for the younger. Explain that medicine is for grown ups to give, then put if where children can't get to it.

amother

Thu, Dec 26 2013, 5:39 pm

Some children climb and get to wtvr they want no matter where it is or what kind of child safety there is
Stop judging.
You're lucky that you raised perfect angels that never did anything dangerous

imasinger

Thu, Dec 26 2013, 5:42 pm

amother wrote:

Some children climb and get to wtvr they want no matter where it is or what kind of child safety there is
Stop judging.
You're lucky that you raised perfect angels that never did anything dangerous

Are you the OP?

amother

Thu, Dec 26 2013, 5:46 pm

I once fed other children a toxic substance ( I was 5 or 6) do I'm definitely not judging. As parents, we try to create a safe environment to the extent that we can. Is there a cabinet or closet door that you can lock? Then explain that adults need to give medicine since different sicknesses need different medicines. Tell 6- yr-old that you know he was trying to help but to tell you or dh when sibling is sick.
Anon since I've told my story to many.

Liba

Thu, Dec 26 2013, 5:51 pm

I strongly suggest getting a locking, childproof medicine cabinet if you have climbers.

Instead of focusing on punishing the 6 year old, use it as a wakeup call that you need to do something to protect your children. Talk to the six year old and talk to the four year old, of course, but if your child is safe and healthy after this realize it is a neis. You saw how easily this can happen. You need to make sure it never happens again chv"sh because the ending might not be pleasant the second time.

http://www.amazon.com/First-Al.....binet there are others, but this one is under $18

amother

Thu, Dec 26 2013, 5:52 pm

amother wrote:

Thank you for this. At least someone understands sometimes its not the parents fault.
I never said anything about the medication or where it was or how the kid got to it but yet right away got blamed for it

busydev

Thu, Dec 26 2013, 5:58 pm

my inlaws have all medicines under lock and key. as an adult visiting (even when there are no young children present- like when we went for a shabbos as a couple) I found it annoying cause you have to ask and its a whole event to get the key etc to open it for a tylenol for a headache etc.

but its really a good idea.

6 yr old should get a stern talking to. parents should think of a better way to keep the meds out of their hands.

(if you had it in a safe and your 6yo drilled it open then you have a whole diff slew of problems on your case)

but seriously, while you were blamed... well its because you (or your husband or the last adult to administer the medicine) IS to blame for not putting it into a place that the children cannot get to. basic childproofing. it doesnt stop once they pass the toddler stage. all toxins should be out of childrens reach, no ifs, and or buts.

the world's best mom

Thu, Dec 26 2013, 8:24 pm

I am a very cautious mother as far as medicines and cleansers go. They are always way out of reach and in a locked cabinet. So you think my kids never ate this stuff?

I was once giving Tylenol to a sick baby while a healthy, rambunctious toddler sat down next to me and got the child proof cap off the bottle of Tylenol and drank it. She was right next to me, but I was too busy with the baby to notice right away. I had just put it down for a minute while I was using it.

Ds drank a bottle of mouthwash in my parents' house. We do go to relatives' homes that are not as safe as mine. It's part of life.

And then there are meds that need to be refrigerated. Those drive me nuts.

amother

Thu, Dec 26 2013, 8:27 pm

the world's best mom wrote:

Thank you. This made me feel better as oppose to all the finger pointing replies.

morah

Thu, Dec 26 2013, 8:35 pm

Enough with the blame, I imagine the op is already reevaluating her childproofing methods in light of this incident. And just because it shouldn't have been allowed to happen, doesn't mean the kid is not deserving of a consequence. The child needs to understand that this is a serious matter. Sorry op, I'm not up to this stage in life and have no idea what works with six year olds. You are right that you need to underscore the seriousness of the incident.

momX4

Thu, Dec 26 2013, 8:43 pm

I think this should be an eye opening experience to every mom reading this. We all make mistakes and kids are soooo fast.

The op was lucky. I dont know what the medicine was, but I have heard of kids eating a bottle of fluoride, heart medication, anti-seizure medicine. Make sure your parents dont leave their medicine around. I had to talk to my father when I found his "bag" on the table unattended.

I didnt mean to attack the op, I just dont want her to punish a little kid. A conversation is necessary.

mommy3b2c

Thu, Dec 26 2013, 9:07 pm

Don not feel bad about all those pointing fingers at you. Anyone can make mistakes. My boys manage to get their hands on everything, and I am very careful. Your six year old must receive a consequence for his actions. Take away a privilege, etc... I would also talk to him and explain how dangerous his actions were. I personally am very detailed with my kids. For example, I would tell my kids that medicine can be like poison, and a person who eats the wrong medicine can end up very sick, in the hospital, or dead. You decide how detailed you want to be.

imasinger

Thu, Dec 26 2013, 9:12 pm

amother wrote:

I think the point others were trying to make was not that you were a bad parent at all, but that when it comes to medications, it is the parents' responsibility to keep them out of reach, because no punishment can guarantee that it will not happen again.

Don't be too sensitive, do lock up the medication and educate your 6 year old without coming down too harshly. After all, if your feelings were hurt just by the responses here, imagine how your DC will feel if you overreact.

amother

Thu, Dec 26 2013, 9:16 pm

Said child was immediately sent to bed and explained that ppl die from too much medication or the wrong one. I am generally light on the punishing but don't want to be now in a situation that could have been life threatening.

seeker

Thu, Dec 26 2013, 10:27 pm

To all you who have mastered childproofing, what do you do with medications that require refrigeration? So far my kids are small and staid enough (one staid, the other small, lol. Going to be in trouble when the small adventurer gets a bit bigger, she's already a menace) but wondering what you do in the future. I have a bottle of amoxicillin there now that I'm sure the kids are very interested in because it's so sweet...

gold21

Thu, Dec 26 2013, 11:12 pm

amother wrote:

If my kid got to a bottle of medication chas vesholom, I would feel guilty and blame myself. That's how mothers are.

I do recall my oldest, when he was a baby, once nibbled on a piece of Tylenol Migraine or something like that, that was sitting loose in my pocketbook. I remember calling the pediatrician in a panic and feeling very guilty and like the worst mother in the world.

I think it's healthy for a mother to take some of the blame for something like this.