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I Can’t Believe I Had Kids for 4 Years Before I Got Around to Buying This

Alicia Betz
Alicia Betz
Alicia Betz is a freelance writer specializing in parenting and education. She researches and tests products from the hottest new toys to the most tried and true parenting products.She earned her bachelor of science degree in education from Penn State University with…read more
published Mar 15, 2023
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Like most people, I keep our family’s medicine on a high shelf away from the reach of little hands … or so I thought. The day I turned the corner and found my 4-year-old with a sleeve of Gas X in her hands, my heart sank. I felt the adrenaline course through my body as I sprinted across the room to get the medicine out of her hands. “Did you eat any of these?” I asked her as I imagined a phone call to Poison Control and a trip to the emergency room. She assured me she didn’t eat any, and I’m sure she became quite annoyed by my repetitive asking just to make sure. 

As soon as my body came out of fight-or-flight mode, I knew I needed to make a change in our medicine cabinet. It had never occurred to me that medications like Gas X and my prescription inhalers didn’t come in child-proof containers. And apparently, keeping the medicine on a high shelf in a closet wasn’t enough. 

Keep Kids Safe with a Locking Medicine Box 

I immediately started searching for locking medicine boxes. In hindsight, I can’t believe I didn’t buy a locking medicine box sooner. We use child locks on our cabinets to keep our kids away from cleaning chemicals, so why hadn’t I thought to use a lock to keep them away from medications? 

The locking medicine box arrived in pieces, but I was able to assemble it in a matter of minutes. Ever since setting it up, we haven’t had another incident! Space is a bit tight in our box; with five people and a dog in our family, we have quite a few over-the-counter and prescription medications on hand. If you need extra room, you can buy a two-pack and stack the boxes on top of each other. 

Here’s what I like about this particular locking medicine box.

  • The sides are see-through: All of the sides of the box are clear, which makes it easy to see what medications I have. In the past, I never knew what was sitting at the bottom of our medicine box, and I would end up buying duplicates.
  • You set a three-number combination: I set the three-number lock to any combination I want, then I simply line the numbers up to open the box. 
  • It’s very sturdy: The box is sturdy enough, and it definitely keeps out my 4-year-old. However, an older child or someone really determined would probably be able to break the box if they really wanted. Even though we now have our medications locked, I still keep them in a closet on a high shelf as an additional safety measure. 
  • As a bonus, it keeps my medications organized now! I like how the box helps me keep my medications organized, too. 

My only complaint is that I wish I were able to open the box from the top, but it only opens from the front. Because of this, it can be difficult to reach medications in the back without taking others out or knocking others over. 

Other Ideas for a Medicine Lockbox

We use our locking box to keep medications away from our kids, but you could use it for other purposes as well.

  • Lock up everyone’s phone for some screen-free time during dinner
  • Keep kids away from other not-child-friendly household items, like dishwasher pods.
  • Store makeup and nail polish, because in my experience 4-year-olds like to get into those as well.
  • My favorite idea: Stock the box with commonly used baby medications such as infant pain relievers, infant gas drops, and vitamin D drops and give it as a very practical baby shower gift! The parents-to-be will certainly appreciate it.

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