Mom Medicine Chest

DISCLAIMER: I am not a doctor, nurse nor any form of medical specialist.

This is just a mom’s list of what she keeps in her Mom Medicine Chest.

I’m just a mom with two small kids who keeps a Mom Medicine Chest

My two small kids have been through a few hospitalizations and horrible illnesses. They are generally perfectly healthy, except for when they come home from daycare. You know how it goes with day care – there is always something going around.

Coupled with our immigration, it seems that the kids seem to pick up a lot of bugs. The little one seems to have borne the brunt of it in Australia. Poor little thing. I really thought that by the time she got to day care she would have built an unbreakable immune system but this has not been the case.

Thus, I have a medicine chest. It used to be a box. Then two boxes and now it’s a chest.

 

Why do I have so much stuff in my “Mom Medicine Chest”

 

I try cover as much of the unknown as I can but I’m not always covered because thats just the parenting goes. You’re never completely prepared for everything.

 

And with a little boy… you just never know what they’re about to find, touch or discover. Yay for us parents!!

 

I’m not affiliated

 

I’m not advocating for brands but rather the type of medication you need. Where I refer to a brand it’s only to utilize an example. The brand you choose to buy is up to you.

 

These are just the basics and what I replenish if we run out. Your basics will depend on the needs of your kids and their past medical history. 

 

1. Plasters. A box with different sizes and shapes is ideal.
2. Two different types of pain meds.  You need to have a paracetamol based pain medication and a ibuprofen based medication. This is because they work on different systems in the body and if you can’t get one two work you can use them in conjunction with each other – under the direction of your medical practitioner. It also helps to have two different flavors of panadol in case, in an emergency or in the middle of the night, your child suddenly decides they detest the taste of strawberry. Been there done that. Of course we have pain meds for adults and kids.
3. Saline Solution. This is to help you flush out your little one’s nose. When you buy it make sure you read the information on the box carefully. Unfortunately the box sometimes says ‘Saline Solution’ but it has other stuff added. The smaller your babe, the less of the other stuff you want in.
4. A Nose Frida. The most amazing nose clearer for kids on the planet. It’s a little gross but it works like a charm and you can’t injure their little nose capillaries like with other nose aspirators.

5. Burnaid or a burn shield. 

6. An antihistamine syrup. There is nothing worse than picking up your child from school and they’re blotchy all over and you’ve got no clue what it’s from. Just make sure you are aware of when to use an antihistamine.
7. A topical antihistamine cream for localized rashes.
8. Hydralyte. If you’re stuck at home alone and you’ve got children vomitting everywhere it’s not so easy to go out and get them something. You can get a box of iceypoles that you can pop into the fridge. These are a winner in our home the children fight over these like they’re Zooper Doopers, even if they’re not sick.
9. Antibacterial wipes, solution or cream. With kids there is always going to be a fall, scrap or scratch in the future.
10. Bandage. You won’t believe the number of circumstances you may need a bandage in – snake bite to twisted ankle or hurt hand.
11. Throat lozenges. These come in all shapes and sizes. We’ve started using the ones that look like lollipops as it is waaay easier to convince a toddler to use it.
12. Syringes and medicine spoons aplenty. In our house these hang out with the pile of missing socks and tupperwares – we wouldn’t know where to look, especially in the middle of the night if they weren’t all in the medicine chest.
13. Chewable Vitamin C tablets. I have different ones for kids than the ones I have for adults.
14. Digital thermometer if you can afford one. We have one that goes on the ear but only because that was all that was available at the time. If I was to buy now I would definitely look into that versus the forehead one.

 

 

 

Additional extras 

 

I’ve got a whole host of other things because I’m a little strange:

• Tweezers (for splinters and other nasties that get stuck.
• Specimen bottles for bladder infection tests as our poor little girl has been down that road.
• Paediatric nose spray for when noses get really bad.
• Toddler vitamins.

 

The adult section is far more extensive

That’s also just the children section of the Mom Medicine Chest 🙂

 

In the adult section we have

• Anti-nausea medications.
• Anti-cramping medications.
• Cough syrups.
• Anti-bacterial mouthwash.
• Sinus medication – the PE type that is from the shelf and that has a day and night version.
• Flu medication.
• Transact patches.
• Decompression socks.
• Medicated lemon hot drinks.
• Hydrolyte for adults.

 

And everything has been used before. I’m actually not sure that’s a good thing – I mean it’s tried and tested (sounds way better now).

Thanks for reading and if you feel there is something in your Mom Medicine Chest which is a ‘need to have’ please add it to the comments section or on Facebook. It’s always good to be over prepared I when it comes to kids being sick. 

 

 

For more on what to have on hand with kids in different situations check out the following posts.

What to keep in your nappy (diaper) bag.

How to pack for the beach when you have kids.