Safe storage in diaper bag for epi pen?

[Katielady]

Earlier today I found my 17mo DD chewing on 4yo DS's epi pen. She got it from an inner pocket of the diaper bag. To get to it she undid two zippers, then unscrewed the outer cap to the container tube and was chewing on the pen itself! So scary.

Tips on ways to keep the pen handy while making it inaccessible to my little expert rummager? I try to keep the diaper bag out of reach but am running out of safe spots to put it, and when we're at a friend's house it's even more difficult. Ideally I'd like a secure pouch within the diaper bag that I can open quickly and easily but DD can't. Does such a thing exist?

[sbgrace]

Wow, yikes. That's hard. My boys weren't that determined! We're going vacation soon with family including my young nephews. I'm going to watch what I do with Caleb's rescue pack after reading that!

I don't know but I'd imagine there are other things in there too you don't want her to get (benadryl, choking hazard stuff, etc.) So I think I'd be focusing more on creating a solid out of reach spot for home. A hook way up high by the door or on the fridge or? and if it's just not working out when you're at specific places maybe switch to a fanny pick (really stylish !) type thing for the meds stuff when you get somewhere (pull out of diaper bag maybe?) instead so it's on your person.

[MariaMadly]

Ditto any "on your person" suggestion; it also establishes that method in everyone's mind for when your DS has to carry his own.

[Katielady]

Thanks all for the suggestions. For now I am putting it in the glove compartment in the car; there's also one in the medicine cabinet, so at least there's one nearby wherever we are.

BTW, in case anyone is reading this and has had similar issues, a pediatrician friend of mine noted that she's seen kids with necrosis of the fingers from accidental epi pen pokes, because it constricts the blood vessels. Definitely something to go to great lengths to avoid.

In our case, I only have it as a "just in case" for DS. He's never actually had anaphylaxis. He has a lot of food allergies/intolerances, and I've heard so many stories of kids who had less severe food allergies suddenly getting a bad reaction and needing an epi pen that I convinced my ped to give me a scrip. So I don't necessarily need to train him to keep one on his person, at least not at this point. Now I feel like I was crazy to even get one to begin with, but I never considered the dangers of accidental exposure since I got it before DD was such a little rummager.

[sbgrace]

You can't keep it in the glove compartment/vehicle. They are very temperature sensitive. They can go on brief excursions but if they stay out in hot/cold either one for long at all the spring can malfunction and it won't work if you use it. Their site will have more information. I've had to replace two sets of pens that I accidentally left in the vehicle (one summer, one winter...both expensive mistakes!) My son's first known taste of a nut was biphasic anaphylaxis. I think you're smart to have an epi pen.