As a new parent, it’s crucial to have particular items in your medicine cabinet to be prepared for all your little one’s health gripes in their first year.
Some of the most common health concerns new parents experience include fever, pain, digestive upset, reflux, and annoyingly stuffy or blocked noses. While you will need to consult your medical practitioner to assist with reflux concerns and digestive problems, these medical cabinet supplies will help you manage the rest.
Infant Paracetamol
Infant paracetamol is a valuable item to keep in your medicine cabinet as a new parent. There’s no way of knowing when your little one might come down with pain or fever, especially when teething occurs. So, keeping a safe medicine on hand to manage pain and fever symptoms is essential. Calpol is the favourite in the UK and they do an Ibuprofen as well, which you can use alongside paracetamol for pain and fever. You can get cheaper paracetamol unbranded, but in my personal experience, Calpol is the best tasting one tolerated by babies and children. Get the sugar-free version if you can. When your baby has their immunisations, the Meningitis B vaccine can cause a fever so you will be advised to give them paracetamol to help control this.
Thermometer
When it comes to infant pain and fever, it’s vital to monitor your little one’s temperature to know when medical attention is necessary. It is best to opt for an armpit thermometer for infants, as oral or rectal alternatives are more tricky to use. I have a forehead thermometer which is a really good tool.
That said, a temperature reading for an armpit thermometer that is higher than 99°F (37.2°C) indicates a fever. Furthermore, it’s essential to visit your doctor if temperature readings are 104°F (40°C) or higher.
Saline Nasal Spray
Every new parent knows just how clogged up a little one’s nose can get, and an infant simply cannot blow their nose. So, it’s wise to keep a saline nasal spray in your medicine cabinet at home. In addition to this, a nasal aspirator is an excellent tool to keep on hand to clear out more stubborn blocks.
Rash Ointments
Infants are also prone to skin rash, more so because diaper rash is a common concern. For this reason, it’s vital to keep rash ointment in your medicine cabinet. There are a few options, and not all of them are suitable for babies. So, it’s worthwhile evaluating the best diaper rash creams.
Beyond diaper rash cream, you should also keep organic skin-soothing ointments such as aloe vera gel to tend to rashes on other areas of the body.
That said, it’s also worthwhile to invest in baby bathing and skincare routines to prevent rashes and skin irritations.
Disclosure: collaborative post
Thank you for reading - if you enjoyed this content, please consider buying me a coffee here or browse my Amazon wishlist I really appreciate your support and it helps to keep the site running and for my time 🙂