Put medicines out of children's reach
Not ratedgeneral health evidence
Make medicines, supplements and visitors' bags harder for children to reach.
Start with the time you have
1 minute
Look around for one spot at home where a child could reach medicines or supplements.
5 minutes
Check that place and return any medicines to appropriate safe storage out of reach and sight.
15 minutes
Review medicine storage with other adults at home, including what happens when visitors arrive.
How sure the science is
Not rated, general health evidence
- No pooled trials to rate.
- This rests on single studies, expert consensus or clinical practice.
- Measured in the general population.
- ADHD trials of this do not exist or are too small.
General CDC storage guidance plus an ADHD poisoning meta-analysis; no formal rating for this household prevention action.
The number, drawn
Keep medicines where young children cannot reach or see
Why it matters
- General medicine-storage guidance cuts the chances of someone swallowing a medicine by accident.
- ADHD poisoning research found higher risk in young people with ADHD, but the pooled estimates mixed different kinds of poisoning and don't measure what a storage change achieves.
- Keeping medicines out of reach and sight is a practical prevention step, alongside the right supervision.
How to do it
- Put medicines and supplements back in a secure place, out of children's reach and sight.
- Check safety caps are fully closed after use.
- Ask visitors to keep bags with medicines in them out of reach too.
- Ask a pharmacist about storage that keeps children safe and still lets you take medicines as prescribed.
- If you suspect poisoning, get advice quickly from your local poison service or emergency care.
- Changing where you store medicines does not change the instructions for taking them.
Putting it into practice
In real life
- Check a bedside table for loose medicines and put them in their proper safe storage.
- Ask a visitor to put a medicine-containing handbag where children cannot access it.
Watch out for
- Common mistakeA safety cap is only useful when secured, so check it after each use.
- Common mistakeLeaving pills in view as a reminder can put them within reach. Ask about reminders that keep storage safe.
Trusted guides
How we rated it
- Evidence grade
- B Trials in ADHD with low certainty, or strong general health evidence with a sourced reason it matters more with ADHD.
- The number
- Keep medicines where young children cannot reach or see (CDC, 2024)
- Benefit
- 70/100 An editorial priority for the general list, weighted by certainty. It does not predict what will happen for you.
- Effort
- Quick win
Sources
- Tier 1 guidelineMedication Safety and Your HealthCDC, 2024
- Tier 2 studyRisk of poisoning in children and adolescents with ADHD: a systematic review and meta-analysisScientific Reports, 2018
- General information about ADHD, not a diagnosis or an individual treatment plan.
- Tailoring changes the order of suggestions; it does not assess you.
- Medication decisions belong with you and a qualified clinician.