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?
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.
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 QOTW
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.
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:
Can he prescribe things to people when he’s on holiday then? That could be handy!
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 Teacher
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.
That’s a good tip, thank you Warren.
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 Old
I have a travel first aid kit which also has bandages and a sling – just in case
Kara recently posted…Project 365 2014 – Week 28
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!
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)
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 049
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 Tips
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.
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 In
My kids just seems to get a lot of minor illnesses when they were younger but thankfully nothing serious.
Thanks for sharing , we are always on top of medical stuff when going aways as my daughter has hydrocephalus .x
Wow, so you must have to be super-organised.
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 mustaches
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 #26
Such a useful list, thanks for sharing.
Jenny recently posted…Easy Lego bento
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!