In households across the United States, the line between medicine and candy can sometimes blur, posing a significant risk to young children. With medicines, vitamins and supplements, including colorful gummies, bearing a striking resemblance to candies in appearance, smell and taste, it's no surprise that confusion can arise.

According to data from the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC), approximately 35,000 children under the age of five are rushed to emergency departments annually due to unintentional overdoses of medicines, vitamins and supplements, including gummies. In a news release provided by the CDC, the data reveals a staggering 420% surge in emergency department visits from 2009 to 2020 attributed to unintentional melatonin ingestions by young children. Notably, unsupervised melatonin exposure among young children has seen a substantial increase in recent years, with nearly 11,000 emergency department visits reported between 2019 and 2022, many of which involved the ingestion of flavored products, such as gummy formulations.

To mitigate these risks and safeguard children's health, parents, grandparents and caregivers are urged to adopt preventive measures. The CDC recommends storing all medicines, vitamins and supplements, including gummies, in a secure location that is inaccessible to young children. Moreover, medications should never be left unattended on kitchen counters or at a sick child's bedside. It's crucial to ensure that safety caps on medicine bottles are properly relocked after use and to educate children about the purpose of medicines, emphasizing that only trusted caregivers should administer them.

Most importantly, caregivers are advised against referring to medicine as candy, even in attempts to encourage children to take their medicine doses. Additionally, visitors and babysitters should be reminded to store any belongings containing medicines out of children's reach and sight.

In the event of suspected ingestion of medicine, vitamin or supplement, including gummies, caregivers are urged to contact Poison Help at (800) 222-1222 immediately for assistance, even if the caregiver is unsure the child ingested anything at all.