There are times when parents are able to help the newborn with treatment and care. The most necessary things for this should be in the baby’s first aid kit.
It is important to remember that you can help your child in case of mild ailments, but in many cases, it is necessary to show the baby to the doctor and only then to buy and use medicines. Before starting treatment, you need to carefully study the instructions, methods of use, dosage, and everything else.
Below is a newborn first aid kit checklist made up by Online Pharmacy Mall, an internationally recognized drugstore and health expert.
Medicines for different occasions
- Antiseptics for the baby: potassium permanganate for the first baths and hydrogen peroxide for treating the umbilical wound;
- Remedies for bloating and colic: they can be useful from the first days of life. The first aid kit also needs an antidiarrheal agent. Glycerin suppositories work great as a remedy for constipation;
- At the first signs of ARVI, it is worth having a remedy for the common cold and a means for rinsing the nose based on sea water. Apricot kernel oil comes in handy for applying it to cotton tows and using them to remove crusts from the baby’s nose;
- Rectal suppositories are the best means of lowering body temperature for newborns;
- An antihistamine will help cope with allergic reactions. To treat an insect bite, you need a special topical gel;
- Vitamin D drops should be given to children in winter to prevent rickets;
- Teething gel is not necessary to buy, but it relieves the pain of the child and protects the nerves of the parents;
- A panthenol-based cream is used to treat dermatitis. It can help deal with diaper rash and other skin problems. To avoid irritation from diapers, it is better to choose reusable ones: they are more environmentally friendly and safer.
Home treatment tools
If the baby is sick, parents can carry out many procedures on their own. For manipulations, you will need special tools.
- Thermometer (preferably infrared and non-contact): the device will help to measure the temperature of the baby, even when he or she is sleeping because it does not need to be applied to the skin;
- A water thermometer will help you measure the temperature of the bathing water to keep your baby comfortable. It will help to start the procedures with hardening;
- The vent tube will come in handy if the baby is suffering from colic and needs help to relieve him/her of bloating;
- A safety dropper with a blunt end is useful for instilling drops in the nose for colds and runny nose;
- A syringe with a soft tip for rinsing the nozzle or aspirator – in case the child has a runny nose and breathing is difficult due to mucus;
- A warmer for the stomach against colic. It is convenient to have a ready-made one, for example with cherry pits. In extreme cases, you can heat the diaper with an iron, folded several times, but they cool down faster.
Accessories for care and doctor visits
- Urine collectors for collecting analyzes. They differ depending on the gender of the baby;
- A waterproof diaper, which can be taken with you to the clinic for a walk: it is enough to lay it under the baby so that moisture does not get on the surface;
- It is convenient to massage the baby on an absorbent diaper: even if the baby gets wet, there will be no need to change it – you can continue the session. It is convenient to take a waterproof diaper with you when you visit a doctor;
- A measuring spoon or a special syringe-dispenser will come in handy to measure out the required amount of bulk and liquid medicines;
- A nursing cover will protect mother and baby from prying eyes while walking and standing in a queue at the clinic;
- Scissors with rounded ends are needed to cut a child’s nails without the risk of damaging his/her delicate skin.