Complete your holiday first aid kit with me.
Holidays are just around the corner. Some of my smallest patients are about to embark on their first big adventure. First vacation. Changing the environment, changing the climate, changing the weather – many impressions and many challenges at the same time. I remember that with my first child, I packed almost everything, including a mattress, for our first trip to the seaside.
After some time, I already know more or less what I will need.
Often in the doctor’s office you ask me what to take and pack in the first aid kit for a trip. Of course it depends on:
- age of the child
- direction – whether it’s a trip to the mountains, to the forest, to warm countries
But they are some universal points which are always worth having with you, which will come in handy right away. Today I will tell you what to pack in your child’s holiday first aid kit. Below I describe the drugs, listing their active ingredients. Examples of Polish trade names can be found below in the print-ready checklist prepared especially for you. There is a video waiting for you on the YT channel, if you prefer to listen/watch me talk about it instead of reading this article:
Over time, I pack less and less drugs. Here I will present to you a proposal of these medicines and equipment that always travel with us, because they turned out to be the most useful.
Permanent medications:
I always start packing the first aid kit with the medicines that children take on a regular basis, to make sure I don’t forget them. So if your child has any health problems – this is a good time to pack your most commonly used medicines.
Antipyretics and painkillers.
Depending on the age of the child, you should adjust the form of the medication to your child. I recommend taking two different medications with you: paracetamol and ibuprofen. And in two different administration forms. In small children, these are, of course, syrups with a syringe to measure the amount of the drug. It is worth having at least one of these drugs in the form of a suppository in the medicine kit- why? In the case of a gastrointestinal infection, when the child has a fever, vomiting can happen right after drinking the fever syrup! Any syrup. It is better to give a suppository and thus effectively fight the increased temperature.
In older children, it is worth having a muscle relaxant with you, e.g. drotaverine – in case of abdominal cramps, menstrual pain in girls, it will quickly bring relief.
Diarrhea/vomiting:
This is where I suggest you pack your oral rehydration fluids. They will help in proper hydration of the child, and this is the most important thing in the case of gastroenteritis. Most probiotics should stay in the fridge, so I never take the risk of packing it in the medicine kit, buying it locally if needed.
Constipation:
On trips, the diet changes and there may be some problems with defecation. It is worth having a glycerin suppository with you for a toddler. After rectal insertion, due to its irritating effect, the drug stimulates defecation. I always pack macrogols with me – these are powdered preparations that soften the poop after eating – thus making it easier to get rid of the problem.
Make sure your child is properly hydrated!
Wounds:
I always have an octenidine disinfectant spray with me to disinfect the wound. Use immediately after injury. Of course, a set of patches is a ‘must have’! For larger wounds, it is worth having gauze dressings of various sizes and adhesive bandages with you – this will allow the mobile child to protect the wound and enable further play.
Injuries and bruises:
In the first aid kit we always have a gel for bruises – it has anti-swelling properties, and an elastic bandage, it stiffens the injury site a bit.
It is worth having cooling gels with you – this way you can reduce swelling immediately after the injury.
Skin protection:
I don’t think I need to remind you about the need to use sunscreen – a video about what SPF is and why it is so important to use it can be found on my Yt channel here at this link: https://youtu.be/ArKFOqAJJ2c
But if you happen to get sunburnt, it’s worth reacting quickly. Sunburn is nothing more than skin damage – creams or sprays containing panthenol help here. It has moisturizing and soothing properties, thanks to which it brings immediate relief. Burnt skin should no longer be exposed to the sun!
In the summer, remember to protect your child’s skin from mosquitoes and other insects – spray or cream repellents help here. Depending on where you spend your holidays: preparation for mosquitoes, ticks, black flies.
In the event of a bite, it is worth having an antihistamine gel, which, when applied topically, reduces the feeling of itching.
In the case of going to forest areas, a tick removal device, e.g. a lasso, will be useful, but ordinary tweezers will also suffice. Remember that the tick should be removed as soon as possible and, above all, completely!
Urethritis and cystitis:
When swimming in the pool or the sea, it is very easy to get urinary tract infections. Polyuria appears: that is, frequent, often painful urination. Then I reach for preparations with furazidin. They can be used from the age of 2. Relief comes very quickly. By the way, there is an article on the blog about urinary tract infections – here:
“A burning issue, a short story about urinary tract infection.”
Allergic reactions/rashes:
Oral antihistamines in drops or tablets are available in Polish pharmacies without a prescription. It is always good to have some anti-allergic medicine with you when traveling. Other food, insect bites, allergic edema can happen anywhere. In addition, I always pack Calcium in effervescent tablets or syrup in his first aid kit.
Bonuses:
- pocketknife – it includes a small pair of tweezers, if you need to remove a splint or tick, and a small pair of scissors that have been used many times.
- A few ampules of physiological saline – such salt can be used to wash a very dirty wound, or to wash the eye in the case of, for example, rubbing with sand.
Remember, these are just examples of the medications I pack for my children, not rigid recommendations.
You can’t prepare for everything! And most things can be bought in pharmacies around the world. 🙂
I wish you a wonderful and healthy vacation! ☀️
