A new study by the American Academy of Pediatrics, reveals that 80% of parents made mistakes in dosing their child’s liquid medications.  Follow these tips to avoid medication errors in your family

1. Always use the dosing instrument that comes with the medication.  This may be a medicine spoon, dosing spoon, dropper or syringe.  Follow these instructions on using dosing instruments correctly and remember NOT TO USE A TEASPOON.
2. Keep medicine bottles and dosing instruments TOGETHER in their original packaging.  This will help avoid mistaking one medication for another and keep everything together in the same place.
3. Always read the label and look at any pictures on the medicine bottle.  Relying on your memory or on previous experiences can be dangerous.  Take the time to make sure you are following the recommended use and measuring correctly.
4. Know your child’s weight.  Liquid medications are generally based on a child’s weight instead of age.  Knowing your child’s weight can reduce errors in over medicating.
5. Communicate with all the caregivers in the home.  To avoid giving multiple doses, make sure that everyone knows when and how much medication was given.
6. Teach your children about medication safety.  Avoid describing medicine as candy since this can be confusing and encourage children to explore medications alone.  Tell children that medication should only be handled by an adult, and that they should never touch or taste medication if they see it.

Find more tips on Safe Kids Worldwide.

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