By JANE HERZ, US SENIOR LIFESTYLE REPORTER

Published:15:57 GMT, 24 December 2025|Updated:16:02 GMT, 24 December 2025

on TikToktold followers in a now-viral video that this can happen for a myriad of reasons.

‘One of them is that grandparents are not used to having kids around, often their medications are on low shelves, or in their purses, or in medication containers that are not child-resistant, or they also have medications in prescription containers that are not child-resistant,’ she explained.

Dr. Martin said that 20 percent of poisonings in young children are in fact related to the accidental ingestion of a grandparent’s medication.

‘Some of these medications can be really dangerous; they can be pain pills, antidepressants, heart medications, blood pressure medications, or diabetes medications,’ Dr. Martin continued.

‘Because kids’ body size is so small in comparison to an adult body size, even one pill can be a toxic ingestion for these kids.

‘It’s especially important when visiting family to make sure that medications are locked up and secure, that we don’t store medications in backpacks, purses, or suitcases.’

She also warned against taking medication in front of children because she said they will often want to ‘mimic’ what the adult is doing.

‘Never refer to medication as candy, medication is not okay to eat, candy is okay to eat,’ the doctor said.

‘Medication boxes are not secure, so make sure they are locked in a secure place, or that the medications are in child-resistant containers also locked up and secure.’

If your child does accidentally ingest a foreign medication, it’s important that you call 911 or the number for Poison Control in the United States.

‘Have a happy and safe holiday,’ the doctor concluded.

In the comment section of her video, many parents seemed to agree with her warning, as they shared their own tips and experiences.

‘Check the floors too! When visiting my grandparent’s apartment with my pup, we found multiple pills on the floor. They would drop them without even noticing,’ one person wrote.

Another agreed, ‘My grandma kept her meds in the cabinet but she dropped the pill bottle one day and missed picking one up. My baby cousin almost took prednisone.’

‘Please remind all families that this should be the practice no matter the age of the kids,’ someone else warned.

‘Sometimes teenagers aren’t making great decisions for their life and need this kind of protection too. Better safe than sorry.’

Another TikTok commenter chimed in: ‘Paramedic here – if your child does get into something, call for help and do your best to get the following info: name and dose of the med, how many they took, time of ingestion.

‘Even a med list from grandma and a pill description helps! That way we and the ED can effectively monitor and treat your child.’

‘Don’t forget about the hearing aid button batteries getting dropped on the floor!’ another cautioned.