6 yr old gave 4 yr old medicine

BabsB

Thu, Dec 26 2013, 11:12 pm

seeker wrote:

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...

Mine isn't old enough yet but I had an idea. What about the little bags (kind of like small makeup bags) that have two zippers? You could use a small little padlock to hook the zippers together. It would be an inconvenience to get to the medicine sure, but little hands couldn't bust a lock (surely).

BabsB

Thu, Dec 26 2013, 11:15 pm

to the OP: I think your sending him to bed with a harsh explanation was probably right. But don't forget to mention it again. Kids need repetition yeah? When the child sees you with/giving/taking medicine, use it as an opportunity to remind him that it's something that requires adult supervision.
I know my kid responds well to simple sentences in a simple melody. That way he can repeat it back to me.

amother

Thu, Dec 26 2013, 11:53 pm

I always used to drink amoxil when I was a kid. My mother always marveled at how quickly the bottle was finished and maybe the pharmacist did not give her enough, and I never told her it was me.

I also once ate an entire pack of her birth control pills. I didnt know what it was at the tme, but it tasted interesting, and so tiny, and you had to pop out each one separately....

Never mind all the childrens tylenol I treated like candy. It is a wonder I am alive today.

gold21

Fri, Dec 27 2013, 12:04 am

amother wrote:

Um. Okay. Oy. That's quite worrisome. Glad you're OK.

Liba

Fri, Dec 27 2013, 4:49 am

seeker wrote:

They make medication lock boxes that can go in the fridge.

http://www.amazon.com/Smartgua.....+safe here is one example, though there are a bunch in all different price ranges.

FranticFrummie

Fri, Dec 27 2013, 5:30 am

amother wrote:

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

Are there any RESPONSIBLE adults in your house?

When my DD gets into things I don't want her getting into, I ALWAYS blame myself, and think about the mistakes I made. I work on how I can prevent it from happening again, and I never blame a baby, small child, or puppy for chewing things they shouldn't. It's all on ME, because I'm in charge.

Don't put a stumbling block before the blind.

BTW, I started talking to my DD about the danger of taking someone else's medicine when she was 3. You must start early, and repeat often.

notshanarishona

Fri, Dec 27 2013, 5:36 am

I think people's reaction depends on how the original post was worded.

If you would have said.. I feel so terrible, I was exhausted, and forgot to put away the tylenol and 6 yr old son got to it. What can I do to make sure this doesn't happen again you would have gotten more sympathy .

When the first reaction is "how do I punish the kid" then people react with blaming because most ppl seem to think a punishment is not appropriate at this age.

This type of thing can happen to anyone. But there is always a responsibility of the parent to try and make sure it doesn't happen. As much the 6 year old should know better , it is a normal little child behavior.

FranticFrummie

Fri, Dec 27 2013, 5:50 am

For those who think that some of us are being too harsh, replace "tylenol" with "handgun", and read it again.

A Tylenol overdose can be deadly, or at least cause permanent liver damage.

amother

Fri, Dec 27 2013, 6:35 am

OP where are you located that your medicine is not in childproof bottles? I have traveled to third world countries and had OTC meds in cold proof bottles.

This is completely your neglect.

Isramom8

Fri, Dec 27 2013, 6:54 am

I don't punish for doing something dangerous by mistake. I punish for exhibiting terrible middos on purpose.

Sending your child to bed and lecturing her or him sounds dramatic enough to get your point across. I hope you also reassure your older child that the younger sib is okay.

When my child got to antibiotics in the fridge, we installed a lock on the fridge.

5*Mom

Fri, Dec 27 2013, 7:03 am

imasinger wrote:

I have yet to meet a 6 year old who was stopped by a child proof bottle.

Because by this age, most children can and should understand and be aware of the seriousness of taking meds. Am I the only one who thinks this is surprising behavior for a 6 year old? I am not suggesting that the 6 year old be punished, I am wondering why this 6 year old doesn't seem to understand the seriousness of medication?

morah

Fri, Dec 27 2013, 7:13 am

Since when does age appropriate behavior equal off the hook? My two year old gets consequences for his two year old behavior. This is to ensure that he does not continue to act like a two year old when he is five. The fact that he is acting his age means two things: I don't worry that something is wrong, and I don't lose it and throw the book at him. But he still receives an appropriate consequence. Certain behaviors have all but stopped because he now knows not to do them- I still have to supervise though, because I never know when he's going to forget or decide not to care today.

I remember when I was 6, I knew not to touch medicine without a grownup. Doesn't mean my parents were able to stop locking it away, but if ever would have gotten to something- whether because I forgot or was feeling a bit rebellious- yes, there would have been consequences, to remind me not to pull that stunt again. I'm sure the op has already implemented stronger safety measures. The kid still needed to understand that he knows better than that, and this behavior is dangerous and not to be tolerated.

amother

Fri, Dec 27 2013, 7:48 am

FranticFrummie wrote:

amother wrote:

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

My post didnt say anything about blame. She needs to understand the severity of the danger of what she did. Who I blame and why is no one's business. Thanks for telling me I'm an irresponsible, terrible parent.
All I asked was for an appropriate punishment. Never discussed circumstances of how the medication was gotten to and yes it did have a child safety cap that can be open by many children

Liba

Fri, Dec 27 2013, 7:50 am

morah wrote:

Since when does age appropriate behavior equal off the hook?

Who is advocating letting the child off the hook? OP said she already punished the child.

Quote:

Said child was immediately sent to bed and explained that ppl die from too much medication or the wrong one.

We are talking about further punishment for a six year old. Talking more would be great and appropriate, but the child was already punished.

morah

Fri, Dec 27 2013, 7:57 am

Liba wrote:

morah wrote:

Since when does age appropriate behavior equal off the hook?

Who is advocating letting the child off the hook? OP said she already punished the child.

Quote:

Said child was immediately sent to bed and explained that ppl die from too much medication or the wrong one.

We are talking about further punishment for a six year old. Talking more would be great and appropriate, but the child was already punished.

Several poster have stated that the kid shouldn't be punished because it was mom's fault, and anyway, she's just a widdle biddle six year old acting her age.

And I was under the impression that the op started this before doing anything, didn't really get much advice, and then updated to tell us how she ended up handling it. And then still got told she came down too hard and that a punishment was not in order. I can't comment on the specific punishment and whether it was the way to go, but something had to be done. Yes, most posters here were advocating letting the child off the hook.

Liba

Fri, Dec 27 2013, 8:02 am

Morah, I think more than wanting the child let off of the hook, the initial gut reaction was to be shocked and astounded that she was more concerned with punishing the child than finding a way to keep her children safe and make sure it could never happen again.

amother

Fri, Dec 27 2013, 8:09 am

Liba wrote:

She also keeps saying that we don't know the circumstances of how the child got the medicine like somehow she is blameless. Regardless of the circumstances it is her responsibility to keep her child safe.

SplitPea

Fri, Dec 27 2013, 8:20 am

So OP how about telling us the full story before asking advice? We can't give advice on a punishment unless we know what happened.

Were you asking dh to give the meds to the younger child and older saw and wanted to be helpful?

Was this in a locked cabinet and the child got the key and climbed up to unlock it?

Was this at another house and OP was unaware of the medicine and child was just curious?

So many possibilities that would each be handled very differently in my I
home.