Which of These 3 Child Resistant Caps is Right for Your Product?

If it feels like we hammer home the message that child resistance is an integral part of the business world, it's because it is. And that's an understatement. Many products demand child resistant packaging, from classic, tried-and-true methods to state-of-the-art mechanisms that take on the daunting task of improving on old favorites. From pull rings to flip tops, there are a vast number of certified child resistant caps available on the market, tweaking the mechanics enough to be different while remaining safe for children and simple for adults. But these 3 cap designs for pharmaceutical packaging continue to reign among the most popular. 

The Classic: Push and Turn Caps

For most of us, the classic push and turn child resistant caps were our introduction to packaging specifically designed for child safety. I can vividly remember handing the bottle of aspirin to my mother for assistance when I was a kid, perplexed as to how the bottle opened so easily for her but twisted so fruitlessly for me. Push and turn caps remained classic because they're so effective. Most of us are well acquainted with pharmaceutical packaging that employs this method of child resistance, but for any of those unfamiliar, push and turn caps utilize a simple locking mechanism in an otherwise simple screw top design. The user must push down on the cap while twisting simultaneously in order to get access to the contents. Once a child knows the trick, it may no longer be such an effective method. But until that point, a push and turn cap can typically keep a child busy long enough for an attentive parent to intervene. 

State Compliant in the Shop. Easy Access at Home: The Reversible Cap

Plastic pill bottles that use reversible caps for child resistance are perfect for meeting state compliance guidelines for packaging while still servicing a unique demographic. That's because reversible child resistant caps appeal to senior citizens, ailing patients or anyone too weak to continually struggle against the mechanics of a push and turn cap. When you purchase a product that uses a reversible cap, it will leave the store with the cap in its child resistant position. To access the closure, you'll still be required to proceed as if you were opening a standard push and turn child resistant cap. But once the cap has been removed for the very first time, it can be flipped over and screwed back onto the bottle like a simple screw cap. This way, state compliance is met in the store or pharmacy and ease-of-use is met in the privacy of your home. Arthritic patients have praised the utility of reversible cap vials for taking two tried-and-true designs and combining them into one easy solution that makes everybody happy. 

Squeeze Top Child Resistant Cops Bring CR to the Modern Era

You may not consider a squeeze top bottle, also popularly referred to as a pop top bottle, a child resistant container with a cap. Squeeze top bottles actually do have child resistant caps but they are often connected to the bottle itself through a plastic hinge. In order to access a squeeze top bottle that's child resistant, you can't just squeeze at random points and expect the lid to open. There are specific points marked at the rim of the bottle that help to guide finger placement. From there, a firm squeeze will send the lid popping open, though held fast by its hinge. While a pop top cap may seem too simple to be truly child resistant, the mechanism had to pass strict child resistant testing in order to attain certification. Accessing the closure is simple but arthritic patients will still probably prefer a reversible cap. Squeeze top bottles are particularly appealing for those who value a sleek and modern approach to meeting state compliance. 

These are just three drops in an ocean of child resistant cap designs but they are also the most popular for packaging a wide range of diverse commodities. While they are most often associated with pharmaceutical packaging, they are by no means exclusive to that industry. There will never be a point in time when child resistant packaging loses its importance. Designs will likely advance and we'll see new innovations in child resistant caps. For now, you'd be hard-pressed to beat these three models.