Common Medicines moms should always have for the entire family

“Mom, I feel sick.”

“Mom, I have a boo-boo.”

“Mom, I lost my lunchbox.”

Mom. The very mention of this name entails assurance of safety, care, preparedness, and most of all – LOVE.

Ergo, we (moms) should always be ready for any health contingencies, especially inside the home. Your family should always have a well-stocked medicine cabinet so you can react quickly when an accident or illness occurs.

However, that doesn’t mean you should skip yearly medical checkups of all family members. As a parent, it could be your responsibility to take kids and elderly family members to a medical professional for a full body check to detect any dormant health condition. If interested, you can look for associates in family medicine horsetooth (or wherever you are situated) to get medical services ranging from family, women’s, obstetrics, and pediatric care to dermatology, osteopathy, gynecology, and more.

Anyways, since you also need to be prepared for accidents and sudden situations that might occur in your house, you can read further to learn about common medicines and supplies you can store at your home.

First things first

You should start by taking inventory of your current stock of medicines/health supplies:

Begin by emptying your medicine cabinet and disposing of all expired or soon to expire medications, then take an inventory of what things you need to buy to update your family medicine cabinet. After that, replace all items in the cabinet by heading to your local drug store or have an online Pharmacy delivery service send the items you need.

Be careful when disposing expired medication. You must never dump them down the toilet. Instead, put the medication in a Ziploc or any tight plastic container and mix with kitty litter or coffee grounds. After doing these, the expired medication should be safe to dispose in the trash. Ask your local pharmacy if you aren’t certain about the proper disposal process for a particular medication.

Home Medical Checklist

You can use this checklist to make sure you have all the necessary supplies to keep your entire family safe and healthy. Always place all medicines out children’s reach, and always assess (if possible) with your family doctor before giving drugs or medical care to any family member.

• Acetaminophen and ibuprofen, used as a fever reducer and pain relief
  (Note: Aspirin should not be given to children under age 12. It has been recently linked to Reye Syndrome, a rare and dangerous disorder that affects the liver and brain and can be fatal.)
• Basic respiratory ailment medication, like Codral cold and flu products are helpful in fighting one of the most common infectious diseases in the world.
• Adhesive tape
• Allergy eye drops
• Antibacterial ointment, for minor burns and cuts
• Anti-diarrhea medication
• Disinfectant and alcohol wipes, for minor cuts and scrapes
• Dosage spoon or cup, for measuring and administering medications
• Gauze padsin a variety of sizes
• Petroleum jelly, for minor burns and abrasions
• Soap, for disinfecting cuts
• Sunscreen(SPF 15 or higher; not to be used on infants under 6 months old)
• Hydrocortisone cream, for insect stings and bites
• Hydrogen peroxide, for minor scrapes and cuts
• Insect repellent
• Antifungals, for baby’s diaper rash
• Bandagesin a variety of sizes
• Benadryl, for allergic reactions
• Calamine lotion, for minor skin irritations
• Children’s-strength cough syrup
• Children’s-strength decongestant
• Cotton balls and swabs
• Nasal aspirator bulb
• Activated charcoal, for unintended poisoning (syrup of ipecac is no longer suggested)
• Thermometer, for taking temperature
  (Note: Rectal thermometers are often used for 3-year-olds and younger; oral or ear thermometers can be used for older children. Mercury thermometers shouldn’t be used under any condition.)
• Tweezers, for getting rid of splinters or ticks (always sterilize before use)

There you have it! Since accidents and diseases are an all-year phenomenon, we should always keep on a lookout for new ways to improve our family’s health and well-being. Besides, they look up at us as supermoms, right?

Presented by OmniAb – antibody discovery platform