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Home / Home Featured / How to pack a family travel medical kit

How to pack a family travel medical kit

July 11, 2014 by Gretta Schifano 23 Comments

Suitcases packed. Copyright Gretta Schifano

Suitcases packed. Copyright Gretta Schifano

What medicines do you pack when you travel with your kids? For me, plastic bags are a medical essential since our first family trip to Greece.

Tonsillitis

Our journey home from Greece just before my daughter’s second birthday was horribly memorable. She started vomiting as the plane took off and carried on at intervals throughout the two flights it took to reach Heathrow. Two year-olds aren’t generally very neat at throwing up and it was a messy experience for which we were hopelessly unprepared. The narrow sick bags provided on the plane just weren’t up to the job. By the time we landed in London she, my husband and I were practically naked. We’d peeled off layers of soggy, reeking clothes and stuffed them into our hand luggage without even a plastic bag to put them in. The cabin staff averted their gaze as we left the plane. A visit to our GP a few days later diagnosed tonsillitis. Who knew that a sore throat could make you puke? Certainly not me.

Sickness

On a trip to Turkey a couple of years ago it was my son’s turn to hurl. I think he’d swallowed some water whilst pretending to be a fish in the jacuzzi. He was spewing for the last couple of days of our stay. Yet again we were unprepared. All we had to give him was Calpol but it didn’t help. Fellow hotel guests offered rehydration powder but it wasn’t suitable for children. Luckily the kindly hotel owner sent one of his staff into the local town to get some medicine from the pharmacy. I don’t know what the medicine was as I don’t understand Turkish but it settled my son’s stomach enough to manage the plane journey home without retching.

Impetigo

Sometimes the contents of the family medical kit just aren’t enough, even if you remember to pack it. A holiday illness which I feel very guilty about is when my daughter, six at the time, contracted impetigo while we were camping in France. In case you haven’t encountered it (lucky you), impetigo is a horribly contagious skin infection which causes sores and blisters. I’d never heard of impetigo. My husband and I thought that the red patches which crept across our little girl’s body over the course of a fortnight were caused by eczema and so we blithely coated her in eczema cream twice a day to soothe it. This misguided treatment spread the infection so far that by the time I took her to the GP on the first day of term in September to ask for some stronger eczema cream he forbade her from going to school for two weeks.

Be prepared

The last thing you want to happen when you’re travelling is for your child to become ill but if they do I’ve learnt the hard way that it’s best to be prepared. These days when we travel I try to remember to pack a small bag of medicines and first aid stuff from home just in case we need it. (Obviously we’d find a doctor if necessary, I’m just talking here about dealing with minor ailments. If impetigo appears on any of us ever again when we’re away I’ll head straight to the nearest medical centre for treatment.) In case we need to see a doctor while we’re away in Europe I make sure that we all have our free EHIC (European Health Insurance Card) which entitle us to free or reduced cost public healthcare. (N.b. post-Brexit, when your EHIC expires you can replace it with a free GHIC, a Global Health Insurance Card). I also check that our travel insurance (here are my tips for finding family travel insurance) is up to date and that I have the emergency insurance contact number in my phone.

Family medical kit

This is my medical kit list for family trips.

In case of sickness

Plastic bags – lots. These can be used either as sick bags or for soiled clothes.

Re-hydration solution suitable for kids and adults.

Travel sickness tablets suitable for kids and adults.

Arsenicum – a homeopathic remedy which can help with sickness and diarrhoea.

In case of injuries

Plasters – for cuts and blisters and as a placebo for small children when something hurts.

Tweezers – in case of splinters.

Arnica cream – a homeopathic remedy which helps reduce bruising.

For insect bites

Insect repellent.

Insect bite cream.

Zap-it! – an amazing little device which uses tiny electric impulses to reduce the swelling and itching caused by insect bites ( I was sent a Zap-it to review recently).

Pain relief

Paracetamol tablets – for adults

Sachets of both paracetamol solution (such as Calpol) and ibuprofen solution (such as Nurofen) for children – great for ear pain on plane journeys.

For allergies

Piriton solution – in case anyone has an allergic reaction to anything.

Prescribed medicine

Any prescribed medicines which we need.

Have I forgotten anything? Do you take medicines with you when you travel? What would you add to the list?

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Categories: The journey
Tags: EHIC, family medical kit, family travel, illness on holiday, travel insurance

About Gretta Schifano

I'm a freelance journalist and blogger specialising in family travel with teenagers, trips when parents manage to travel without their kids, and 50+ travel. I also write about vegetarian travel, parenting teenagers, adoption, SEN, ADHD and anxiety. My work's been published by the Financial Times, Guardian, Independent, National Geographic Traveller, Lonely Planet and others. I've lived and worked in Italy and Spain and am now based in rural south-east England with my husband, adoptive and birth kids and our dog. I previously worked as a social action radio producer for the BBC.

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Comments

  1. Stephs Two Girls says

    July 19, 2014 at 9:03 pm

    Only just seen this one but a great list just in time for many! Always good to be reminded of what could go wrong 😀 It’s all worth it though, eh?!
    Stephs Two Girls recently posted…My School Days. Brilliant, but Different.My Profile

    Reply
  2. Helen @ Witty Hoots says

    July 16, 2014 at 12:42 am

    The only other thing I would recommend would be to take a basic first aid course that includes the child element in it. You never know when you may need those skills to save lives so I believe it is better to be prepared.
    Helen @ Witty Hoots recently posted…Home Laura Ingalls Wilder QOTWMy Profile

    Reply
    • Gretta Schifano says

      July 16, 2014 at 8:38 am

      That’s a really good suggestion. I did do a course when my eldest was a baby and it’s good to know what to do in case something happens.

      Reply
  3. Trish - Mum's Gone To says

    July 15, 2014 at 3:23 pm

    You and my husband would get on like a house on fire. He’s a GP so you should see what he packs for a trip – all manner of lotions, potions and tablets for all ills plus his prescription pad!
    Trish – Mum’s Gone To recently posted…Mum’s gone to review The Thief Hotel, Oslo:My Profile

    Reply
    • Gretta Schifano says

      July 15, 2014 at 4:37 pm

      Can he prescribe things to people when he’s on holiday then? That could be handy!

      Reply
  4. agatapokutycka says

    July 14, 2014 at 4:21 pm

    Wow, your list is perfect!
    Thank you for this reminder… time to replace out of date meds with a new one for the summer.
    agatapokutycka recently posted…Thank You TeacherMy Profile

    Reply
  5. Warren Andrews says

    July 14, 2014 at 11:56 am

    Make sure that your stroller has a tag with your name, address, and phone number. If you do check your stroller, consider packing it in a bag as many airlines consider strollers “fragile items” and will not reimburse you for damage.

    Reply
    • Gretta Schifano says

      July 14, 2014 at 12:31 pm

      That’s a good tip, thank you Warren.

      Reply
  6. Liska @NewMumOnline says

    July 13, 2014 at 11:56 am

    Even thinking about sickness makes me feel woozy – I am SUCH a wuss.
    Great comprehensive blog post though and very timely/topical.
    Liska x
    Liska @NewMumOnline recently posted…Friday Night with a Four Year OldMy Profile

    Reply
  7. Kara says

    July 13, 2014 at 6:34 am

    I have a travel first aid kit which also has bandages and a sling – just in case
    Kara recently posted…Project 365 2014 – Week 28My Profile

    Reply
    • Gretta Schifano says

      July 13, 2014 at 11:10 am

      Now that’s very sensible as long as you know how to make a sling – I think I can remember how to do it from when I was a Brownie!

      Reply
  8. Sarah Ebner says

    July 12, 2014 at 6:55 pm

    Oh, I really feel for you after that flight – sickness or plastic bags are an extremely good idea. I always take arnica tablets from the chemist and plasters, just in case, plus calpol sachets (as so much easier to travel with). Perhaps I should be taking more? Good tips, thank you!
    Sarah Ebner recently posted…An Amazing Time In Northern France With School (Part One)My Profile

    Reply
  9. laura redburn says

    July 12, 2014 at 8:36 am

    sorry to hear about the impetigo! i’ve never been on holiday but definitely some products to keep in mind if i ever do.
    laura redburn recently posted…friday florals 049My Profile

    Reply
  10. Vicky (@aroundandupsidedown) says

    July 11, 2014 at 9:29 pm

    This is a really great cheat sheet. I always take OTC medication to cover S&D, bites etc. My other half moans when I pack it, but he doesn’t complain so much when I’m helping him get over a poorly tummy. Think I will take tips from the pro here though and pare my kit down a little.
    Vicky (@aroundandupsidedown) recently posted…Houseplant hotel with Charlie Dimmock: The Joy of Plants – Summertime and Holiday TipsMy Profile

    Reply
    • Gretta Schifano says

      July 13, 2014 at 11:15 am

      My husband moans about how much I pack too but I think it’s definitely better to have that stuff just in case you need it.

      Reply
  11. Zena's Suitcase says

    July 11, 2014 at 8:52 pm

    Sounds like you’ve been really unlucky. I always pack some supplies, but there are some things here I think I need to add
    Zena’s Suitcase recently posted…Thinking Thin #5: Weighing InMy Profile

    Reply
    • Gretta Schifano says

      July 13, 2014 at 11:16 am

      My kids just seems to get a lot of minor illnesses when they were younger but thankfully nothing serious.

      Reply
  12. Hannah Staveley says

    July 11, 2014 at 8:09 pm

    Thanks for sharing , we are always on top of medical stuff when going aways as my daughter has hydrocephalus .x

    Reply
    • Gretta Schifano says

      July 13, 2014 at 11:23 am

      Wow, so you must have to be super-organised.

      Reply
  13. Jen aka The Mad House says

    July 11, 2014 at 6:01 pm

    My mum was always so well prepared which has rubbed off on me. I always carry a small first aid kit with me and have a larger one for longer stays
    Jen aka The Mad House recently posted…Leather lace-on shoe mustachesMy Profile

    Reply
  14. You Baby Me Mummy says

    July 11, 2014 at 4:55 pm

    Thanks for sharing, this is really useful information. Now I just need that holiday….. 🙂 x
    You Baby Me Mummy recently posted…Word of the Week #26My Profile

    Reply
  15. Jenny says

    July 11, 2014 at 3:15 pm

    Such a useful list, thanks for sharing.
    Jenny recently posted…Easy Lego bentoMy Profile

    Reply
  16. Julie says

    July 11, 2014 at 11:21 am

    You pack a lot of stuff I had never thought of packing! Never thought about plastic bags, but I guess after your two year old was sick that time, you are always prepared! x
    Julie recently posted…FOTD #5 | High-end V Drugstore Dupes!My Profile

    Reply

Trackbacks

  1. Five Great Family Travel Blogs | Tots 100 says:
    July 18, 2014 at 8:30 am

    […] blog is well laid out with easy to find posts and plenty of hints and tips. She shares a post on how to pack a family medical kit, Heathrow park and fly hotels and 10 great things to do in Normandy with kids which includes a […]

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