Sharpie Baby!!!

The scenario: Your child has a fever. You grab the bottle of Ibuprofen and open it. Then you realize you don’t remember the dose, and you tip the bottle to check the dosage. The Ibuprofen spills onto the counter top and floor. You then check the bottle, looking closely at the small print for the dose. Find it, give it, and then clean up.

There is a better way!

Write with a sharpie pen your children’s name/s on the bottle. You can also just use the first initial of each child. Then put the exact dosage that the child should receive, and I always put how often you can give it also.
Example:

R= ½ t 6-8 hrs E= 1t
I also mark my children’s prescription bottles with their names and amounts.
This makes it so much easier to know the exact dose and be able to do it quickly.
Also I like to make sure the times that medication is given on our calendar. That way everyone is on the same time line, and there is less chance of a double dose.

Example:
E= Ace- 8:30 AM
E= Ibu- 11 AM
Use abbreviations for medications: Ace for Acetaminophen, Ibu for Ibuprofen, anti for antibiotic, A for antihistamine. Whatever you choose will be great! Just makes it easier to use abbreviations.
I used this system when our whole family got strep last year. It helped me to keep track of who needed what and when. We were able the finish the whole 10 days of treatment with out missing a dose! I also put helpful sticky notes on tables and mirrors so I knew when the next dose would be. 

I came up with this idea when my oldest had surgery as a baby. Not only did he need an antibiotic they also had him on two separate doses of pain killers. It was crazy trying to juggle the medications he had to take. Using this helped me keep track.

Hope you find it helpful!