There’s a lot to worry about when you drop your child off at school, especially in today’s world.
Parents of children with medical conditions or illnesses have even more to worry about.
- Will my child be given their medication on time?
- Will I know if my child accidentally skips a dose?
- What happens if my child goes on a field trip?
Don’t let worries like these keep you up at night. There are things you can do to worry a little less when you send your child to school with meds.
Take the Medication to School Yourself
Children, especially elementary-age students, don’t spend a lot of time thinking about the medicine they have to take. If you put it in their bag to take to school, they are likely to forget all about it.
Take the medication to school yourself. You’ll feel better knowing you personally handed it to a nurse or an associate in the building.
Get to Know the Person Administering Medication
Nurses aren’t always the ones administering medication. Sometimes it’s counselors, teacher’s aids, and even office staff, depending on who is properly certified to administer meds.
Find out who will be responsible for giving your child their meds and introduce yourself. Ask for their direct number or email address so you can keep in touch about doses or any changes in your child’s prescriptions.
Consider Separate Bottles for Home and School
Keeping the medication in its original bottle is always a good idea for safety purposes. It’s also required at school.
Instead of lugging the bottle back and forth, or putting some of the meds in a container you can keep at home so you can take the actual bottle to school, ask your pharmacist to separate the prescription into two different containers with their own labels. That way you can always leave the medication in its bottle.
Ask the Doctor if There is Any Flexibility With Doses
Things happen. Whether it’s a field trip or the person who usually administers meds is out sick, it’s possible that your child may miss a dose or end up taking it late.
Is there any flexibility with your child’s doses? Ask your doctor!
If you know your child can safely take a double dose of their medication at night, you don’t have to worry about them skipping a dose on a field trip, for example. If their doctor says they absolutely can’t skip, it’s important to clarify that with the school so they make sure your child always takes their meds as prescribed.
Have a System for Keeping Track of Doses
It can be hard to trust someone else with your child’s medication. It can bring you peace of mind to create a system of keeping track of doses, both at home and at school, so you know your child is taking their meds.
Tooktake is a great solution! Labels stick directly to standard medicine bottles with tabs that can be removed after each dose has been taken. That way you don’t forget to give your child their medicine at home, and the staff at your child’s school won’t forget either!