Jingle Pills: A Holiday Safety Song
Lyrics by Washington Poison Center
To the tune of Jingle Bells
The holidays are here,
A time for joy and cheer!
Families reunite,
With traditions we hold dear!
But listen closely, friends,
To keep this season bright,
Beware of grandma’s pill stash—
Let’s get her meds stored right!
🎶 Chorus:
Pill boxes! Pill bottles!
Keep them out of sight!
Kids can grab them easily,
And give you quite a fright!
Lock them up, store them high,
Keep all meds secure!
Or the gift you’ll get this holiday
Is an ER adventure! 🎶
Weekly pill reminders,
A danger in disguise,
With bright and shiny colors
That catch a toddler’s eyes.
Child-resistant caps
Won’t always do the trick,
And pills left out in open spots
Can make kids really sick!
🎶 Chorus:
Pill boxes! Pill bottles!
Keep them out of sight!
Kids can grab them easily,
And give you quite a fright!
Lock them up, store them high,
Keep all meds secure!
Or the gift you’ll get this holiday
Is an ER adventure! 🎶
This season, stay alert,
Spread love, not medication!
Staying home or visiting,
Avoid a complication!
Bring your festive spirit,
And a safe place to store pills,
Out of sight and out of reach
So no one becomes ill!
🎶 Chorus:
Pill boxes! Pill bottles!
Keep them out of sight!
Kids can grab them easily,
And give you quite a fright!
Lock them up, store them high,
Keep all meds secure!
And have a happy holiday
The safest, brightest way! 🎶
In all seriousness, be extra careful with medications this holiday season. One of the most common holiday calls we get is about a child swallowing a grandparent’s medication. This usually happens when the grandparent keeps their pills out in their room or on the counter, in their purse/suitcase, and/or when they use pill boxes or other non-child resistant containers (like a pill vial with non-child resistant cap).
Older adults are often on multiple medications that can cause potentially serious effects in young children. For example, medications to treat high blood pressure, opioids for pain, medications for diabetes, or medications to help you sleep. Any of these alone can be dangerous, but the combinations can be more of an issue.
Cannabis edibles brought into the home are also a common call. These are routinely discovered once a child’s urine is tested and positive for marijuana. Unfortunately, many of these patients undergo an extensive evaluation including head CT, lumbar puncture, and blood draws.
How can you prevent this?
- Identify a storage spot for medications that is out of sight and out of reach of kids. Even better, use a locking cabinet or lock box.
- Don’t store medications in your purse or bag.
- Ask visitors to put their purse or bag up and away and show them your designated safe storage spot for meds.
Call your local poison center (1-800-222-1222) if you think something was ingested. We can assess the individual situation and provide guidance for next steps.
Image/data source: https://ihpi.umich.edu/news/many-grandparents-medicines-not-secure-enough-around-grandchildren-poll-suggests