What should be in a children's first aid kit

2024 Author: Malcolm Clapton | [email protected]. Last modified: 2023-12-17 03:44

Our life is full of curiosities. For example, in 1963, Australian Stephen Little was born. The catch lies in the fact that the baby was born unlike his last name, that is, not at all small. Its weight was 7.4 kilograms. And there are many such amazing cases of childbirth. But no matter how strong the "hero" may seem, he, like all other children, will have to be sick in the first years of his life. From this article, parents-to-be will find out what medicines should be stocked up for future use in order to quickly help their child if they feel unwell.

"Why become a dad?" This question has been raised more than once in the comments to Lifehacker's article on male reproductive aging. The discussion on this topic can go on for a long time, but only until the moment when a man learns on himself the joy of fatherhood. Then the questions will disappear by themselves.

It is impossible to describe the feeling of pride, delight and affection when you find your character traits, habits in a child, you start getting dirty with lunch with him, bully and make discoveries, feel strong sincere hugs after returning from work and see his deep well-fed sleep.

Fatherhood is a never-ending source of inspiration, energy and experiences, sometimes unpleasantly disturbing. And the main reason for hard feelings, of course, is the child's painful condition. How can I help my baby? You can't get off with love and affection alone - you need to look into the first-aid kit. And here are the drugs that are desirable to have on hand for typical childhood ailments.

Attention! Read the instructions before giving your son or daughter any medicine. Pay attention to the recommendations for use, contraindications and dosage. Better yet, consult a pediatrician for advice.

Teething

Most adults have already forgotten the indescribable sensations that accompany teething. However, a small part of you (including the author) still suffer from the spring-autumn exacerbation of the growth of wisdom teeth. Not a bit pleasant! Multiply this aching pain by the novelty and the number of foci of inflammation. It will turn out to be a very scary picture, which your child is experiencing.

The symptoms of pain are simple. The kid pulls toys into his mouth, his salivation rises, and sometimes even his temperature. Look the little one in the mouth. Teething sites will appear on the gums with swelling. So they need to be treated with one of the cooling gels. We used Bobodent, although there are other popular products such as Calgel or Dentinox.

Temperature increase

Did the mercury column of the thermometer climb just above 37 ºC? Do not panic and rush to antipyretic drugs. Yes, the baby's body is struggling with the problem, but it's still not worth bringing down the temperature. Usually doctors recommend operating at 38 ºC or more.

In our case, Ibufen, an anti-inflammatory, analgesic and antipyretic drug, was used as a lifesaver. It contains the active substance ibuprofen, a drug of the group of non-narcotic analgesics.

Another popular solution, Efferalgan, contains paracetamol, an active ingredient that affects the thermoregulatory center in the hypothalamus.

Both ibuprofen and paracetamol are well studied by medicine, their effectiveness has been clinically proven, and therefore they are included in the list of essential medicines of the World Health Organization.

But it is important to understand that the use of an antipyretic is only a way to alleviate the course of the disease. What disease? The doctor will answer this question after examining the child. He will also prescribe further treatment, if such a need is identified.

And a little about the method of administration. Antipyretic drugs are presented both in the form of a syrup and in the form of rectal suppositories. The latter will come in handy if your child is still very young and does not want to swallow anything. For older children, candles are lit for nausea and vomiting. And remember: when dealing with candles, it is important to show speed, agility and a little deceit.:)

Sore throat and stuffy nose

Life is full of impossible missions. One of them is to make a child, admiring the snow, breathe through his nose. In an atmosphere of euphoria and constant movement, the baby still swallows frosty air with his mouth. We have all heard about the consequences.

Sometimes doctors prescribe Ingalipt for sore throat. But there are many complaints about this drug because of the sulfonamides it contains, the use of which is prohibited in many countries due to the severity of side effects. Either not everyone knows about this nuance, or they simply turn a blind eye to it.

Therefore, it is worth paying attention to "Orasept". The phenol contained in it has antimicrobial and fungicidal action, and glycerin softens the oral mucosa and prevents the development of irritation.

With a clogged nose, everything is much easier. A little brute force to fix the head and a couple of drops of solution in the nostrils - it's in the bag! You can trust "Vibrocil" or "Otrivin".

Stomatitis

The curiosity of kids knows no bounds. They strive with all their might to learn the maximum about the world around them, including the good old method - the taste! And no matter how you hide your fishing boots, flower pots and just dirty toys from the sandbox, the child will still reach them with his tongue. And it may happen that a lesson in natural science, along with a new experience, will bring an uninvited guest - stomatitis.

In fact, poor hygiene is not the only cause of damage to the oral mucosa. Stomatitis can be caused by both banal mechanical damage to the gums with a brush, and the presence of problems with the gastrointestinal tract. And each type of stomatitis requires its own treatment, so it is important to consult a doctor and identify the primary source of the disease. And while you are going for an examination, you can ease the pain with a variety of herbal decoctions or treat the ulcers with special gels. For example, "Kamistad" eliminates discomfort in the oral cavity and reduces pain. Be sure to stock up on cotton swabs so you don't have to use your fingers to handle the wounds.

Digestive problems

In the first months of life, a fragile digestive system torments the child with bloating and colic in the abdomen. Before turning to special syrups, try the grandfather's recipe - a decoction of dill seeds. It didn't help us, so we had to stomp to the pharmacy for Espumisan. Just a few drops of the drug gave excellent results. The child stopped waking up at night, and flatulence disappeared.

The beginning of complementary feeding is a time of trial and error. The payment for wrong actions is diarrhea in the child and neuroses in his father and mother. And sometimes "breakdowns" do not go away for several days. During this time, the acid-base balance in the baby's body is disturbed, which helps to restore "Regidron".

Often, dehydration of the body is accompanied by leaching of the intestinal microflora. Its normalization can take a long time, and in this case it is better to stock up on drugs that contain live microorganisms. You yourself probably took Linex after a course of antibiotics. In addition to this popular remedy, we recommend Lacidophil and Enterojermina. A couple of remarks: such preparations require proper short-term storage and cost quite a lot for themselves.

Burns

Children love to turn into monkeys and repeat after their elders. They really want to drink tea like an adult, iron a shirt or look into the oven. At the same time, the feeling of fear is alien to babies, they are indifferent to the basics of safety. Of course, it is in parental power to postpone the onset of an emergency, but it will still happen sooner or later. And here it is important to react with lightning speed and treat the affected area of the skin with Panthenol spray. The remedy is indicated for violation of the integrity of the skin, including thermal burns. It has a calming and healing effect, which is confirmed by my personal experience.:) As an analogue, you can offer "Bepanten".

Conclusion

So, to summarize. A children's first-aid kit must contain any antipyretic agent and a remedy for burns. We hope that this mandatory minimum will not be useful to you at all, but it is he who will give confidence that your child will not suffer while one of the parents runs to the pharmacy.

Cooling ointments, nasal drops, and abdominal pain relievers are not critical, but they are highly likely to be used and can be purchased in advance.

But probiotics and medicines for the treatment of diseases of the nasopharynx and upper respiratory tract can wait for a special command from the pediatrician.

Of course, we missed something in the course of the article. For example, brilliant green, iodine, natural sedatives and agents for the prevention of viral diseases. The latter are important if a child attends New Year's trees with a host of other children, travels in public transport, or often visits relatives. In such circumstances, it is better to prevent undesirable consequences and drink Anaferon or Aflubin in advance. We did not mention sanitary napkins, starch, which is great for diaper rash, and, of course, a thermometer. Don't forget about them!

What is stored in your first aid kit? What drugs do you prefer?