Medicine Bag for Holidays
Are you prepared for minor accidents and mishaps whether travelling at home or abroad? Check out our guide to the essentials to put in your first aid box to give you and your baby a hassle-free holiday.
Skin
You know how delicate your baby's skin is but did you know that it can easily burn even in the milder British summers, regardless of how pale or dark your baby's skin is?
- A good quality, high protection sun cream is essential and there are many available designed with babies in mind which are hypoallergenic and gentler than adult sun creams.
- If the worst does happen and your baby gets some sunburn, make sure you have a soothing bottle of aftersun or calamine lotion to help cool his skin. Avoid baby oils as they could heat on the skin and aggravate the sunburn.
- Babies can also suffer from prickly heat, especially in hot and humid climates. This shows up as a red itchy rash. Again, calamine lotion will help soothe the irritation but an antihistamine liquid such as piriton is suitable from 12 months old and is great for prickly heat and any other allergic reaction.
- Bites and stings, although usually not life-threatening can be uncomfortable for babies and young children. A cream such as Anthisan will help calm the irritation.
Tummy upsets
Many children suffer from travel sickness so it's a good idea to keep a packet of wet wipes and some tissues in your first aid kit, as well as some paper bags.
Most travel sickness medications are not suitable for young children. However, travel sickness bands are effective little bracelets that work by applying light pressure to points on the wrist and are safe for all age groups.
Ginger has also been shown to be effective in preventing nausea. Ginger biscuits are great for a toddler but herbal ginger teabags can make up an effective drink that's safe for your baby.
If your child developes an upset stomach which leads to vomiting or diarrhoea it's important that they don't get dehydrated which can happen quickly in young children. Some sachets of dioralyte replace essential salts lost through sickness and diarrhoea.
If diarrhoea or vomiting is excessive, accompanied by a fever or lasts longer than 12 hours, MEDICAL ADVICE SHOULD BE SOUGHT.
Temperatures
No first aid kit is complete without some infant paracetamol. Calpol is available in sachets which are ideal for travelling with as they are lighter than the bottles.
Nurofen is also available in a syrup form for children from 6 months old and upwards and will help reduce a fever as well as ease any aches or pains.
Of course, your baby could also feel hot without actually having a temperature. Magicool is a fantastic microfine spray of water and menthol which cools the skin and soothes irritable, overheated babies and parents.Alternatively take a spray bottle of your own and keep it filled with water in the fridge.
Kiddi Kool patches are cooling gel-filled cloth patches which you can place on your child's forehead to reduce fever or cool an overheated child.Find them at www.allpatches.net
Minor Accidents
Cuts and scrapes and bumps and bruises happen even to children with the most vigilent of parents. Keep the following in your kit to magically transform those tears into a smile.
- Plasters - make sure you have an assortment os sizes to cope with everything from a cut finger to a scraped knee. There are a lot of brightly coloured, patterned ones available featuring many of your child's favourite cartoon characters.
- Sterile or clean gauze swabs - ideal for mopping up and cleaning dirty wounds without the risk of introducing more infection
- Arnica gel or cream - a definite must have, this homeopathic remedy brilliantly reduces swelling and bruising when rubbed on skin and is safe for all ages.
- Antiseptic spray - these are much kinder than they used to be and are ideal for spraying over a graze or minor cut to help clean and prevent infection, without having to touch the wound.
- Sterile saline drops - great for helping to flush foreign bodies (like sand) out of the eyes.
Your medicine bag an at-a-glance guide :
| Skin | Sun cream or Sunnies Aftersun Calamine lotion Piriton Syrup Anthisan cream |
| Tummy upsets | Wet wipes Tissues Paper bags Travel sickness bands Ginger Dioralyte |
| Temperature control | Calpol or other paediatric paracetamol product Nurofen for children Spray bottle to fill with water Kiddi Kool Patches (see stockist above) |
| Minor accidents | Assorted plasters Gauze swabs Arnica gel or cream Antiseptic spray Sterile saline drops |
Where to next?
- For information on everything from how to travel stress-free and summer safety tips, check out the rest of our travel section
- Family travel - check out our mini guides to Cornwall and the Cotswolds
- Share travel tips and get advice on our Travel discussion forum
- We try, you buy… Check our comprehensive product tests
