It is both enriching and exhausting to travel with a baby. Making preparations for travel with a newborn also entails continuous packing, extensive lists of items to bring, and must-haves that, if overlooked, can prove to be a blunder with a young child. But when assembling a baby medical kit, utmost care and attention are essential.

Travel often results in infants being exposed to unfamiliar environments and often this exposure may not always prove to be the most comfortable one for their health. It’s possible that you won’t always have access to medical professionals or medications at your location. Therefore, carrying a medical kit can prove to be helpful in such times, making the process of caring for your baby an easier and less stressful one.

Here are 10 medical kit essentials to keep with you while travelling with a baby:

1. Thermometer

Digital or manual weariness, alterations in sleeping habits, exposure to an unfamiliar environment, or changes in temperature can all occasionally have an effect on a baby’s immune system. Their small bodies’ first line of defence against a fever emerging is keeping a thermometer on hand to quickly check their core temperatures if there is even the slightest suspicion of one.

2. Calamine lotion

Calamine lotion is a non-expensive, over-the-counter remedy that can be useful for treating sunburns, rashes, and other skin irritations. Most infants can use it because it is mild in nature and rarely causes an allergic reaction on any type of skin.

3. Insect repellent

Avoiding insect bites is crucial when visiting new places in order to avoid developing any undiagnosed infections. This should therefore be included in every medical kit. But stick to tried-and-true bug sprays or patches that your baby’s skin is accustomed to.

4. ORS or hydration salt pack

Changes in diet, water, or an infant’s environment can sometimes act as a stimulus to result in a stomach illness that can cause diarrhoea and vomiting because infants have delicate systems. When attempting to maintain the child’s fluid and salt levels, oral rehydration solution packs can be helpful, especially if they won’t eat or drink anything.

5. Motion sickness medication

When travelling, be it land, air, or water, it is a good idea to keep motion sickness medication handy. Even if your child has no previous history of motion sickness, such episodes can always be a first for infants, thus it would be advisable to let your doctor know so they can write a prescription for the condition.

Also read: Have you given your first-aid kit a Covid-19 upgrade yet?

6. Anti-allergic medication

A new environment and change in routine coupled with exposure to various foods can sometimes result in allergic reactions in babies and catch you off guard. As directed by the doctor for the prescribed dosage, it is advisable to keep anti allergic and antihistamine medications in a travel medicine kit.

7. Antibacterial/anti-fungal cream

Cuts and bruises can often take a turn for the worst with skin infections and lesions that need care and attention. Basic antibacterial and anti-fungal treatments can help until medical attention can be obtained.

8. Saline spray

Babies who travel may experience blocked sinuses, painful colds, and stiff noses as a result of changing ear pressure, varying temperatures, and immune system variations. For such circumstances, a saline spray might come in quite handy by providing patients with immediate relief.

9. Antipyretic medication

Basic paracetamol can aid with inflammation and body aches in addition to bringing down body temperature. Having an antipyretic on hand at all times can help you handle unfortunate circumstances.

10. Band-aids

If it’s a shoe bite from walking while travelling, you can use a band-aid. So keep them in your first aid kit.

Takeaway

Apart from these essentials, always carry prescriptions for the drugs in your luggage as sometimes baggage checks could raise questions by authorities that could prove to be troublesome. Certified doctor prescriptions can help deal with such situations.