Having a sick baby at home is bad enough. Having a sick baby while you’re traveling can ruin a trip. But if you pack well, you don’t have to let a fever or a cough derail your itinerary.
But…what to pack?
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First: Your Mobile Medicine Cabinet
Ours includes: Tylenol (because Motrin does nothing for Sophie), Motrin (because Tylenol does nothing for Luka), 6 Culturelle Kids probiotic packets, Frida Baby Vapor Bath Drops, Zarbees Cough Syrup and 2 plastic syringes. We’re at the age that ‘bingas’ (bandages) are needed at every turn, so we pack those directly into the diaper bag.
I also pack separately both kids’ inhalers, with a single spacer & mask (no need to pack 2; don’t worry if you don’t know what I’m talking about), and Sophie’s steroid tablets. At this point, we are still too young for allergy testing, and given the right situation, either child can dive right into a respiratory problem if we don’t have their inhalers. You may have your own medical “stuff” at home, and you’ll want to be sure to pack those items ‘just in case.’ You know your kiddos best, so use your intuition at this point in your packing list.
What I recommend for everyone:
Cough Syrup
Zarbees is our go-to (this when they were under 2; this one now), and seems to be popular with most moms I know. But any cough syrup will do. It doesn’t actually do anything for the cold/virus, but it coats the throat and helps soothe coughing, which in turn helps baby to sleep, and their little body can rest and repair more efficiently.
A Fever Reducer
Fevers in babies/children are a dime a dozen. What causes them? Mostly: who knows? Note: I do not travel with a thermometer. I use the old fashioned method of touching my child and saying “wow! you feel very warm.” Does he or she have a legit fever? I have no idea. All I know is that in almost 3 years, we have only taken one child once to the ER for a long-lasting fever (And even then, they said ‘all we can do is wait’ and sent us home with the same Tylenol I had at home. Ugh.) I give my children a fever reducer at the first sign that they are significantly warmer than usual. I know there are moms that wait, and all I can say is: you do you. We travel with 2 fever reducers, because for some reason my children require different ones (#notmentionedinparentingguide), but you have plenty of options. We use dye-free Tylenol (I like this one and this one too), and dye-free Motrin (this one for 6-23mo, or this chewable version).
A Probiotic
Our kids take a probiotic vitamin every single day. There is plenty of evidence that as premies that spent time in NICU, probiotics can build up the digestive system that nature didn’t have time to perfect. So far, so good. My babies both have had very few digestive issues. But every once in awhile, diarrhea happens. I always pack a few Culturelle packets (easily can be added to yogurt or applesauce). If you are traveling to a country with questionable water, you’ll want to consider packing more. They are light and tiny, so they aren’t going to bog down your luggage.
A Few Bandages & A Small Antibacterial Cream
You can pack mostly the ‘regular’ size, but try to include 1-2 of the odd sizes too, just in case. Keep in mind that you’re packing for immediate first aid, and do not need a full-size first aid kit with all possible 62 items. In the rare event that you end up needing anything bigger than a bandage, you can find a local pharmacy and buy it there. We like this kind – others seem to aggravate Sophie’s latex allergy. But as long as we change it every 24 hours, these seem to be ok.
It’s kind of an ‘optional’ (because – full disclosure – we never pack it), but a small antibacterial cream wouldn’t be a bad idea either. We use this one and this one at home.
Optional Items You May Consider
Gripe Water
Sophie was a regular with this one when she was under 1yo. So this was a necessity for us back in the day. If your baby is the same, you won’t want to forget it (or suffer the consequences lol). We usually used this brand, but also found this one to work well.
Gas Drops
You know your baby. If this is a necessity, this is a necessity. There are a variety available, but when I needed it briefly, we loved this brand and this brand.
Saline Spray/Drops
Again, when the babies were babies (*sniff, sniff….they’re growing up so fast!), we used to keep saline spray right at the changing station. But now they don’t sit still long enough to even think about using it. If you’ve got steadier jumping beans than I have, this one and this one seemed to last the longest and take up the least space.
Essential Oil Drops
I love Frida Baby. I think they are brilliant. As their line expands, they just keep surprising me with more “why didn’t I think of that?” products. Their bath time essential oil drops are just an added “oomph” to clear a cold or cough quickly. I draw a bath for the kiddos and make sure they splash around for a good 15-30 minutes to fully get the effects. Again, not a necessity, but a tiny, lightweight add-on that just makes the kids feel better faster.
A Nose Frida
We used to always travel with one. We stopped for the same reason as dropping the saline spray. Some find these to be a gross concept (I totally understand; I was 200% with you until I actually had kids), but they are a brilliant invention for congested babies. There are others available, but I only recommend the original Nose Frida.
In lieu of traveling with a humidifier (please do not do that!), this product is great for achieving the same effect, but taking a fraction of the space. It’s a bit pricy, so I don’t think it’s a ‘must have,’ but if you are traveling during cold season, or your little one is particularly sensitive to allergens, this would be a good addition to consider.
I haven’t included diaper rash cream in this post (just because we keep it with our diapering stuff, and not in our ‘medicine cabinet’), but you’ll want to be sure to remember that too. We love this brand, as it was recommended specifically to us by the NICU nurses, and is the brand they use in the hospital (*be sure to pack the larger 4oz size only in checked bags if flying!). Luka came home from the NICU with a prescription cream (who knew that was a thing? #notme), and continues to have a sensitive behind, so it’s a MUST for us.
Did I miss anything? If you take other products with you on your trips, please leave a comment below and share with us all! Or, as always, if you have any questions, please also drop them below. I want your travels to be as smooth as possible, and don’t want you to waste time running from pharmacy to pharmacy trying to find what you need, while your sick baby sits suffering in the hotel room. Hopefully you’ll be able to achieve the ultimate goal of efficiently packing all of this in your suitcase and never having to use any of it.
