Stop Telling Kids That Medicine Is Candy

别再跟孩子说药物是糖果

We’ll say anything to bribe a kid to take their medicine, but telling them it’s candy has the potential to backfire. Each year, 70,000 kids show up at emergency rooms after overdosing on medicine, most because they helped themselves to meds that were left in reach. After all, who doesn’t want more candy?

为哄孩子吃药，我们几乎说尽一切好话，但是告诉他们药物是糖果有可能会产生事与愿违的结果。每年有70000个孩子由于用药过量而出现在急诊室，其中大部分是因为他们自己服用了自己可以拿到的药物。毕竟，谁不希望多吃点儿糖果呢?

Some kids understand that medicine helps you feel better, but then they apply toddler logic. If a little is good, more must be better, right? Kids also may not understand that there are different kinds of medicines, and so Grandma’s pills aren’t interchangeable with their Tylenol. My kids have even asked for medicine after skinning a knee.

一些孩子明白药物可以帮他们变得舒服些，然后他们就用自己懵懂的逻辑去思考：如果吃一点是好的，那么吃更多就会更好，对吧?孩子也可能不知道药物有不同的种类，同样不知道奶奶的药是不能和他们的泰诺互换的。我的孩子就曾在膝盖破皮后要求吃药。

All this argues in favor of explaining to kids what medicine really is—and until they’re old enough to understand, keep meds “up and away,” as the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention has named their campaign to prevent childhood poisoning. That means if you gave some medicine to a sick toddler, and plan to give them more in four hours, don’t leave the bottle at their bedside. And if you’re visiting friends or family, make sure they don’t have meds or vitamins in kid-accessible places like the kitchen counter.

所有这些关于向孩子解释药到底是什么的争论——直到他们长得足够大并能理解(药物的实质)，请将药物“拿走收好”——疾病控制与预防中心如此为他们发起的防止儿童(药物)中毒活动命名。这意味着，如果你要给一个生病的孩子吃药，并且计划在四个小时后再次喂食，请不要将药瓶留在床边。如果你去拜访朋友或家人，请确保他们家孩子能够够到的地方——例如厨房柜台，没有放置药物或维生素。