Is your baby medicine cabinet stocked? Here are 10 must-haves to keep in your baby’s medicine cabinet for when your baby gets sick or hurt.
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As parents, we would like it if our babies never got sick. But they are bound to get sick at some point and it is best if we are prepared with the things on hand to treat them as soon as we can.
This is a list of things that I always keep in my baby medicine cabinet (although it isn’t all in the cabinet). When we had our first we didn’t really think about what we would need when the baby got sick. So when she got sick for the first time we had to figure out what we needed, and that was not the best time to do that.
1. Thermometer
You will want a thermometer for your baby, preferably one that you can use rectally. For children under 3 years old it is best to take their temperature rectally. A couple of other methods could work, but they are not as reliable or accurate in infants as a rectal temperature.
I would recommend having a specific thermometer for the babies. We use thermometer 1 and thermometer 2 they are the same brand but look different. So we use one kind for taking an oral temperature and the other kind for rectal temperatures. It is nice to be able to tell the difference at a glance.
2. Bulb Syringe
A bulb syringe doesn’t get used a whole lot, but when you need it, you need it. Babies can’t blow their noses when they are stuffy, so these are used for suctioning their noses out to help them breathe.
It is especially hard when babies are stuffy because it makes it hard for them to eat since they rely on their noses to help them breathe while eating.
A bulb syringe can also be used to suck mucous out of their mouth because they don’t know how to spit it out when they cough it up and sometimes they will gag on it.
3. Lavender
Lavender essential oil is really good to have on hand for babies, it has so many uses.
It can be used to help calm a baby, reduce a fever, help with ear infections, and many other things.
We have a jar of lavender mixed with coconut oil and beeswax and we will put some on the bottom of the baby’s foot when they have a fever or to calm them down. We also will put it by their ear if they have an earache.
While lavender is good for them, be careful not to go too overboard on it, because strong scents can be harmful to babies.
4. Garlic Oil
We use garlic oil for a lot of things when our babies (and for us too) are sick, it has so many uses.
Garlic helps boost the immune system, so when my babies are sick I will eat several cloves of garlic a day so that they will get it through the milk.
Garlic oil can be used for ear infections by rubbing it around the ear, or even putting a drop in the ear and letting it sit there.
It can also be used for sore throats and coughs by rubbing it on the neck or chest.
5. Congestion Relief
Having something to provide a little bit of relief to the baby when the baby gets stuffy is a good idea. It is hard for them to be stuffy, especially since they need to breathe through their nose to eat properly.
Instead of the traditional Vicks, we like to use a natural alternative on our littles. I even use it myself, it smells good and it works! We use this natural chest rub whenever our babies are stuffy.
6. Multipurpose Ointment
A good multipurpose ointment has many uses. Multipurpose ointment can be used for cuts and scrapes, dry skin, cradle cap (dry skin on the baby’s head), and diaper rashes. I even use it on my own hands sometimes when they are dry.
7. Coconut Oil
Coconut oil is basically a multipurpose ointment just by itself. We like to keep a few tubs of coconut oil around the house for various things and one of them is used for the babies.
Often babies will ‘shed’ their top layer of skin the first few days and weeks after they are born and sometimes moisturizing their little hands and feet can be helpful. Coconut oil can be used for that without worrying about them putting their hands in their mouth with it on them.
You can put coconut oil on their skin after a bath to moisturize it and keep it from drying out. It can be used for dry skin, cradle cap, and chapped lips, and can be used for diaper rashes as well.
8. Onions
No, I didn’t put this in the wrong place. Onions are a wonderful tool to have in your baby medicine cabinet, although you might want to keep them in the kitchen with the rest of your onions.
Onions are a great thing to have when your baby has a cold. They can be chopped up and put in a bowl next to their bed to help them breathe better when they are stuffy. Or they can be chopped up and put in a sock on their feet to help lower a fever and help with stuffiness as well.
Making an onion poultice can also help with congestion and coughs.
9. Infants Ibuprophen And/Or Tylenol
Infants ibuprofen and Tylenol are good to have on hand in case you need them. It should be noted though that Ibuprofen should not be given to babies under 6 months old or Tylenol under 3 months.
We use medications sparingly in our children, but occasionally they are needed. Our first was a really bad teether and sometimes we had to give her medicine because she was crying so much and she wouldn’t even sleep.
They don’t get used much, but when the baby is suddenly sick or in pain and needs something you will want them right away.
10. Mineral sunscreen
It is recommended that babies should stay out of direct sunlight as much as possible if they are under 6 months old. It is also recommended that you don’t put sunscreen on them because of possible side effects.
We are most definitely careful with our babies in the sun as sunburn on a baby is really bad for them. However, we don’t keep them out of the sun all the time. We also use some mineral-based sunscreen on them if we are going to be in the sun for a long time because their skin is very sensitive.
We use mineral-based sunscreen because, for the most part, they just sit on the skin, instead of being absorbed by the skin. Chemical sunscreens get absorbed by the skin instead of just sitting on the skin.
I like the Babo botanicals and the Thinkbaby mineral-based sunscreens. Neither of them leaves your skin looking white and they work well for us, I even use them on myself.
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