Whether you are planning on traveling for the upcoming holiday via airplane or car, one thing for sure, is if you have kids, you will need to bring some necessary first aid items. What often happens is that your child is fine one minute and then the next they are complaining their head hurts or they don't feel good. Perhaps they ran through a patch of poison ivy at Grandma's or while hiking got bit by a mosquito or stung by a bee. Cuts and bruises will happen at home or away. The irritation that these life's little surprises bring on, means we as parents need to be prepared. You can't bring your whole medicine cabinet when you travel. Here are the must-haves first aid items to have on hand when traveling with children.
Thermometer
Nearly a decade ago when I pregnant with my first child, my neighbor gave me a digital ear-thermometer for a gift. I remember her saying to me, "Sorry it's a boring gift." I had no idea at the time, how many uses I would get out of this thermometer. Fast forward to the present and we are still using the same thermometer. It is easy to use and no matter how feverish my children feel, they are usually fine with me sticking the tip of the thermometer in their ear to check their temperature. It works with a press of a button.
Find a thermometer that you can trust and be sure to take it with you on trips. When I was a kid, my mom a registered nurse, use to be able to put her hand up to my forehead and tell me whether or not I had a fever. This works too, but it certainly isn't very accurate. Throw a thermometer in your bag. It's easy and it will give you peace of mind knowing exactly how sick your child may be.
According to Amazon.com, the Braun thermometer which I swear by, has been discontinued by the manufacturer. However, here is one similar to it by the same company. Braun Ear Thermometer. From the Manufacturer, "Designed to give you some peace of mind when your child comes down with a fever, the Braun ThermoScan Ear Thermometer with ExacTemp Technology has all the features you could ever want in a thermometer. Used by more doctors' offices than any other infrared thermometer brand, the ThermoScan features a pre-warmed tip that improves accuracy, a unique guidance system that ensures precise results, and infrared technology that takes your child's temperature in seconds."
Favorite Fever Reducer
Once when we were traveling with the kids in Vermont, my son who was 3 at the time, had come down with a fever. Being the responsible parent that I am, I brought the thermometer but forgot our favorite fever reducer. We were in an area of Vermont that we had never been to, it was late at night and of course, raining. Trying to remember where the local drug store or gas station was at night was not much fun. It all looked different in the dark especially when I was frantically driving around trying to find the one thing that would make him feel better.
After finding some liquid Ibuprofen, I rush back to give my son a dose of it. When of course he starts crying because it's cherry flavor and not grape! Also, I didn't have the little plastic syringe we use at home to push it into his mouth. He was not a happy little guy. His fevers always seem to spike at night so I had to plead with him to swallow a dose of medicine before he went to sleep. It was a difficult night and one that could have been a little bit easier had I remembered to bring these items from home.
Anti-itch Cream or Stick
As adults, we know when a mosquito bites us or a we get a bee sting. But for our kids, they don't understand why they have a spot that never stops itching. We've also had situations where a mosquito has bitten my son over and over in the same spot or a sensitive spot such as near his eye and it starts to swell. For these type of situations, we have had success with Benedryl cream. We've also used it for rashes or hives.
An anti-itch stick has been a whine-saver for us. I usually keep a couple of these around for those annoying mosquitos bites which my kids always get when camping no matter how much bug spray we put on them. A little bit of an anti-itch stick can sooth a lot of itching.
If you don't want to use these over-the-counter products, you can also make a paste of water and baking soda to put on the bug bite or rash.
Bandages
Good 'ole band-aids can often cure what ails kids whether it be a minor fall or a bruise. Often times, giving my child a bandage will make the ouchies and the boo-boo's go away. Such a simple thing, easy to carry always a necessity.
But What About...
I know what you're thinking there are so many other things that can be added. And you're right. But when traveling, space is limited and sometimes there aren't a lot of store choices nearby. These are the four things I will always pack. Of course it goes without saying to bring the EpiPen if your child has an allergy, an inhaler, or other required medicines prescribed by their doctor.
What over-the-counter items do you bring that I do not have listed? Please comment below and let me know!
Disclaimer: I am not a doctor. This post is for informational purposes only. All the opinions
are my own. For dosage & medical information, please follow the advice of your children's doctor. See my full disclosure policy here.
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