Setting up a family medicine cabinet is a bit different from stocking up on first aid for a house that’s all adults. If you’re new to parenting, finding all the right over the counter remedies to be ready for any late night symptoms that might pop up can be a little daunting, because kids often need medicine for conditions that adults just don’t have to think about. That’s okay, though. That’s why guides to these things exist, after all. Let’s review a few key items you’ll need once you have taken care of basics like baby aspirin and band-aids. This isn’t comprehensive as a list, but it does cover the major items that new parents often overlook.
Cough, Cold, and Flu Medicine
You wouldn’t give a small child an adult-sized painkiller, which is why baby aspirin and children’s acetaminophen exist. Similarly, you shouldn’t give kids adult formulations for cough syrup or flu medicine, because they don’t have adult-sized bodies or metabolisms. So what can you use? It depends on what you’re stocking. Sometimes, you do need something that can break a fever, other times you just need to shut down a cough while breaking up chest and sinus congestion. Consider an all-natural cough remedy for those times, one that doesn’t over-medicate by including treatments for five or six common conditions in one bottle. If you’re curious how well natural cough suppressants work, check out the Wellements organic children’s cough and mucus reviews on the company site to learn more.
Stomach Discomfort and Hiccups
Kids have a lot of stomach issues that adults don’t need to contend with, just as adults have a lot of digestive difficulties that are unique to various ages and medical backgrounds. That’s doubly true of infants, who frequently come down with colic and the fussiness that comes when babies and toddlers get gassy. Using an all-natural treatment like Wellements organic gripe water is a great way to soothe those symptoms and help a little one get back to sleep. Nothing can keep babies from being fussy now and then, but the right medicine will help you soothe your baby’s stomach and get them back to bed.
Constipation can also be a big issue for small kids, especially when they’re starting to master solid foods. Oftentimes, kids develop constipation issues for reasons completely beyond their intended diet, because young children explore the world with their senses and that often means tasting things they shouldn’t. A gentle constipation remedy can help when a new food or exploratory bite winds up causing a bit of gastric distress, so it’s also a good idea to stock something like Wellements constipation treatments, just in case.
Antiseptics and Ointments
Last but definitely not least, remember to stock up on the salves and ointments you’ll need to treat the wide variety of minor injuries and environmental reactions that come with a kid’s first steps into the world. Antiseptic ointments prevent infection when treating minor scrapes and wounds, and anti-allergy ointments come in handy when there’s an itch you want to treat but not to scratch. Between the two, you’ll be ready for everything from insect stings that don’t come with an allergic reaction to encounters with environmental hazards like poison ivy. No medicine cabinet is complete without these treatments, especially not one designed to provide first aid to children.