Every parent’s medicine cabinet
All the talk yesterday about how Little Man has been sick constantly since starting creche got me thinking about how important it is to have a fully stocked medicine cabinet when there’s a baby or toddler in the house. I’ve seen on several occasions how quickly a baby can go from being perfectly fine to very ill.
So here’s my list of must-haves for the medicine cabinet:
- Digital Thermometer – we have the Braun one. It was very expensive, but I find it great because it takes Little Man’s temperature so quickly.
- Calpol or another paracetamol suspension – if you’re in the US or Canada I think Tylenol Baby is the equivalent
- Nurofen or an Ibuprofen suspension – this seems to give greater pain relief to Little Man than the Calpol does. It also brings his temperature down faster. However, it can only be given every eight hours, and I’ve read in a few places online that ibuprofen can be hard on their stomachs, so I try to avoid giving it if we can. When it’s needed though, it is fantastic, and because it is a different drug, it can be given at the same time as Calpol initially, and then you can alternate them after that.
- Paralink – this is a paracetamol suppository. It’s not nice to administer it, but it works, and it works fast. The weekend that Little Man cut his front top tooth, his temperature kept spiking over 40, and this was the only thing we could use to bring it down because he was vomiting whenever his temperature went high. I think it can be used for babies over three or four months. Thankfully we didn’t need to use it until Little Man was a year old, but since that weekend, I always make sure to have it in the house.
- Nelson’s Teetha Granules – when Little Man is teething, I always try these first to see if they ease the discomfort for him, because they’re a homeopathic remedy and I’d rather not give him Calpol or Neurofen if I can avoid it
- Saline Nasal Spray – there are several different brands; it’s just a matter of finding one that you can use easily on your baby
- Snufflebabe – this a vapour chest rub suitable for babies – great for use when he has a blocked nose
- Nelson’s Sootha – this is a cough bottle that can be given to babies once they are over a year old. As far as I know it’s the only one on the market suitable for children under the age of 2. It only seemed to work when Little Man had a tickly or dry cough.
- Karvol – a few drops of this in a bowl of hot water in his room really helps Little Man breathe when he’s very congested
- Nelson’s Smootha – this is a homeopathic baby bottom cream. I found it great for treating mild nappy rash or skin irritation that Little Man is prone to when he’s teething.
- Bepanthen – recently Little Man had the most awful nappy rash he’s ever had. It took nearly two weeks to fully heal, and in the end this is the cream that healed it up for us. We had to change him hourly, and apply large amounts of cream with each change, but it definitely helped, and it seemed to give him a lot of relief.
