What You Need in Your Medicine Cabinet

The guy in this picture is not loving life. I should know because it is of me. I’m not happy because it was taken last night at 2:30 AM outside my local 24 hour CVS Pharmacy.

The reason for my early morning visit to the local CVS was not by choice. I was there because at 12:30 AM my 5 year old daughter screamed bloody murder complaining about pain in her ears. This pain, we found out, was due to 2 bulging ear infections. The problem is when we called the hotline of the pediatrician, the on-call nurse told us to give her Children’s Motrin.

That was fine and dandy except for the fact that we had no Children’s Motrin (or any other children’s ibuprofen) on hand. Which means it was listen to my daughter scream in agony and in effect, wake up her 2 younger brothers, or get my sorry ass out of bed and into my car.

Don’t let this happen to you! Make sure you have some bare essentials stocked in your house so you aren’t having to run out before the rooster. Here are a few of my recommendations for essential medicines:

Tylenol
Make sure you have plenty of Tylenol on hand at all times. When your kid is sporting a raging fever, you need to get some Tylenol in them fast and often. If you have an infant, it is important you get the infant Tylenol drops. Likewise with kids: you can’t give them an extra strength caplet. You need to give them children’s Tylenol. We typically buy Tylenol in lots of 4: 2 for the medicine cabinet, 1 in the car, and 1 in the diaper bag. They go quickly so make sure you have backups.

Ibuprofen
When it comes to pain relief, ibuprofens like Advil and Motrin have been shown to act quicker and last longer than acetaminophens. Especially with ear aches and ear infections, ibuprofens have been especially effective. There has been some concerns for long-term use of ibuprofens in children but dosage over a few days is not considered long-term. The important point to remember is when your kid is in pain, you want to relieve it. So make sure you have some in stock.

Thermometers
I say thermometers (plural) because you should have a rectal and an oral one on hand. Depending on age, you will need to give your kid’s temperature to the nurse or pediatrician. For more information on taking rectal temperatures read this.

Band Aids
A variety of sizes are recommended. For bonus points get the ones with cartoon characters on them. They aren’t that much more money and they serve as a healthy distraction.

Tweezers
These are important for splinters. Read more about splinters and what to do about them here.

Medicated Lotion
Sometimes, Curel just won’t cut it. You need some serious moisture for a serious dry patch. Try brands like Eucerin, Aquafor, and Hydrolatum for the best lotions you can get without a prescription. Although, you may need to still ask for the stuff behind the counter.

Bulb Syringe
This little rubberized plastic syringe will be needed to suck out crazy mucus dripping out of your kid’s nose. This is especially useful with kids who do not know how to blow their own noses yet.

Plungers and Dosage Cups
Dosing is an exact science. When you are dealing with fractions of teaspoons, you cant afford to overdose your pride and joy. Make sure you have plenty on hand. Pharmacies will throw in extras for free if you ask them.

Make sure you don’t get stuck making a midnight trip to the pharmacy. Stock up your cabinets noodads but make sure your medicines are not expired! Good luck.