Grandparents enjoy spending time with grandchildren. Grandbabies bring so many joy. It’s not uncommon for young children to get their curious little fingers into places they shouldn’t. It is important to keep valuable or broken objects away from children’s reach.

Every year, more than 70,000 children end their lives in emergency rooms after they get access to medicines that are not available. This is 165 children, or approximately four busloads of children per day. Too often, this medicine was a grandparent’s.

Young children are able to get medicine from many places. You can find them on countertops, bedside tables, pockets, purses, and even loose pills on tables and floors. The weekly pill minders are a great way to keep track of multiple medications. However, they don’t have any child-resistant features so that curious children can not get into the colourful medicines.

“Grandparents and parents may not be aware of the danger posed by leaving medications where young children can reach or see them,”Dr. Dan Budnitz is the director of the Medication Safe Program at the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention. “A few simple steps — followed every time — can protect our children.”

Enjoy your time with your grandchildren, grandparents. You can host them at your home or have them visit you at yours. But remember to keep your medications safe and secure. These are some tips from the CDC’s “Up and Away and Out of Sight“Initiative”

* Keep all medicines and vitamins up and away and out of sight in a high cabinet or other place inaccessible to your grandchildren. Keep a reminder in your refrigerator, or anywhere you look daily, in case you forget to take your medication.

* Never leave medicine or vitamins out on a counter or bedside table, even if you have to take the medicine again in a few hours.

* Always relock the safety cap on a medicine bottle. If the locking cap is turned, turn it until you hear the click.

* Never tell children medicine is candy so they’ll take it, even if your grandchild does not like to take his or her medicine.

* Keep purses, bags or coats that have medicines or vitamins in them out of reach and sight of young children.

* Program the Poison Help number (1-800-222-1222) into your phone so you have it in case of emergency.

For more information on safe medicine storage, visit UpandAway.org