Pediatric patients aren't just small adults. And that's why they can't always be given smaller doses of adult medications, which is why the pharmacy here is dedicated to serving only children.

At age 12, Liam Montgomery knows more about medications than most adults ever will.

“I take medication called Toby for short. It’s Tobramycin. It kills some of the bacteria and things like that in my lungs that I have with CF,” Liam said.

CF or cystic fibrosis means Liam has to take several different medications and treatments every day.

And keeping track of the medications and their doses can be quite a challenge. That's where Sanford Children's Pediatric Pharmacy comes into play.

“We deal from 1 pound, 2 pounds all the way up to 200 pounds and those doses are all different sizes, so we have to make sure we get the right one so we're very careful that we get the right strength for that child,” Helen Fiechtner of Sanford Children’s Pharmacy said.

The pharmacy often creates special medications for each patient depending on their illness, along with the dietary and other requirements that come with them.

"We make up a lot of our IV solutions because they don't come commercial. We make them for that child with the electrolytes they need, potassium, sodium, or if we're feeding them nutrition in their vein, we make it up for that child,” Fiechtner said.

"The medications they're really tailored toward sort of a balance between what he does dietary-wise and with these other medications,” Alan Montgomery, Liam’s dad said.

Along with a system of several checks and balances, the pharmacy has another major safeguard.

"I hope that it would give them a piece of mind that we have dedicated pharmacists that that's all we do is pediatrics. When we're over here we're doing pediatrics, we're not jumping back and forth between pediatrics and adult,” Fiechtner said.

“With all of the specialized treatments, you really do need to know that there's somebody here that's you know knowledgeable and is going to be able to give you what you need,” Alan said.

Something the Montgomerys and the other families at the hospital can appreciate.

"Every year, we come in here there's going to be some adjustment there and it's good to know that they're there and they're aware of that,” Alan said. He continued, “It's really comforting.”

“They're more friendly to kids and maybe know more---help kids more,” Liam said.