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Travel essentials for holidays with a child – rakes, inflatable wheel, favorite mascot and… holiday first aid kit – probably every parent knows about its importance. What drugs should not be missing? What to do if, during a holiday abroad, it turns out that the first aid kit is missing an important medicine?
Sun, sea breeze, sand beneath your feet – there’s nothing better than a relaxing family beach holiday. Unfortunately, holiday trips and diseases often go hand in hand. At home, the child is in good health, but as soon as the plane touches the ground, a runny nose begins.
On vacation, it is also easy to get gastrointestinal problems, all kinds of allergic reactions or minor cuts. For this reason, we should never forget to take a properly completed holiday first aid kit with us. What medications should be included in it during holidays with a child?
Eight medications that should not be missing in your holiday first aid kit
As the * Doctor.One study shows, 49 percent. parents, when their child fell ill during a holiday trip, used a previously prepared first aid kit or bought medicines on their own – this is the most frequently indicated procedure in the event of a child’s illness during the holidays. Parents aged 35-44 (60%) most often act in this way. At the same time, as much as 41 percent. parents use the Internet (discussion forums, blogs, social media, internet portals) to prepare for holidays with children, and only 33 percent. – on the advice of a doctor. The latter solution is most often chosen by parents of children up to 12 months of age (55%).
Regardless of your child’s age, if you are planning a holiday abroad, the appropriate completion of a holiday first aid kit should be at the top of your priority list. So what should be in it? What medications to take on vacation with a child?
- Permanent medications, especially prescription medications – make sure you have enough of them. It is also worth taking a copy of your medical records with you.
- Painkillers and antipyretics – paracetamol and ibuprofen, in suspension or suppositories.
- Antiallergic drugs – antihistamines for oral use, nasal drops to relieve runny nose, eye drops.
- A drug for diarrhea, vomiting or poisoning.
- Preparation for insects and ticks – especially if we are going on vacation in a tent or to tropical countries. The best choice for a child will be products containing icaridin, because it is not absorbed through the skin.
- Nasal spray with sea salt.
- Hydrating electrolytes – may be useful in case of fever, diarrhea, vomiting and sunstroke.
- Medicine for motion sickness – in the form of syrup, capsules or lozenges. Remember that for children under 3 years of age there are no over-the-counter medications for motion sickness.
Which drugs do parents forget most often? What, apart from medications, should be in a toddler’s holiday first aid kit? We ask Dr. Alicja Sapała-Smoczyńska about it – a specialist in paediatrics and a certified CCMP travel medicine doctor.
– Parents usually remember the antipyretic drugs, but rarely think about topical or oral antihistamines. The first aid kit often lacks electrolytes, which can help to effectively hydrate the child in the event of diarrhea or vomiting. In addition to syrups and tablets, you should also pack plasters, strips for cuts, burn gels, a bandage and a sterile gauze pad.
Dr.
– We must always have insurance with us when traveling abroad. On its basis, we can go to an in-house visit to a local doctor, which will be necessary if we have not taken the prescription drugs that the child is taking with us. During the consultation, the pediatrician will examine your child and prescribe the drug or its substitute if it is not available in your country.
When you are flying with your child on vacation by plane, pack all the necessary medicines in your carry-on luggage – in case of delay of the plane or loss of checked baggage. Moreover, checked baggage can be exposed to changes in temperature and humidity that can affect the medications you take. Remember that there are also restrictions on transporting certain drugs to some countries – make sure you have the appropriate medical certificate from your doctor so that you can present it at airport security if necessary.
Doctor.One – a virtual clinic with your private doctor, always at hand
On vacation with your child, both at home and abroad, the Doctor.One application can be useful, which gives you the possibility of direct contact with your personal doctor who knows you and your needs. You can consult a doctor anytime, without queues and long deadlines, whenever you need to – to present test results, ask for a prescription, release or referral.
You can write to your doctor at any time using a secure communicator that acts as a virtual doctor’s office. Your doctor will write back or call at the scheduled times of your virtual tour, but you can also mark your message as urgent. You also don’t have to worry about your medical data falling into the wrong hands – only the patient and a trusted doctor have access to the patient’s card, medical data and communication history.
How do I join your trusted doctor’s office?
- Ask your doctor if you are looking after your regular patients at the Doctor.One clinic. What if your doctor doesn’t take at Doctor.One? Recommend him and Doctor.One will contact him to provide you and your family with ongoing medical care at your fingertips.
- Download the Doctor.One Patient application from the Google Play or Appstore store and create a patient account. Downloading and using the application is free of charge – you pay only after accepting the personalized subscription proposed by your doctor.
- Join the office by entering a practice code or accepting an invitation that the doctor can send you directly in the app.
Find out more at https://doctor.one/
* The study for Doctor.One was carried out by Maison & Partners in June 2022 using the CAWI (Computer Assisted Web Interview) method on the Ariadna research panel on a group of 532 representative people (in terms of gender, age and place of residence) for parents of children up to 18 years of age .