The Mom’s On The Road Essential Medicine Cabinet: What We Always Keep on Hand
- thevitalpair
- 7 days ago
- 4 min read
Holidays for some mean lots of traveling, visiting family (which means more germs than what you're used to), and sometimes a midnight trip to the nearest 24-hour pharmacy to get a medicine you, of course, didn't bring.
So when we have more than one child (in our five) that constantly catches every single virus they come into contact with, you learn to pack every medicine you could possibly need - and we do!
We're here to tell (and show) you what has saved us on multiple traveling emergencies! (and no, we are not sponsored by ANYONE, so this is honestly, what we bring!)
We'll start out with the basics.
Adult Tylenol, Advil, Allegra/Zyrtec, Gravol, and Cough Drops. We keep ours in a little travel container with sections to keep them apart.
Children's Tylenol, Advil, Zyrtec, and Gravol. (Note: we have not bought "infant" Tylenol or Motrin because the dosage is the same, it's just different branding).
Lots and lots of hand sanitizer, sanitizing wipes, bandaids of all different flavors, baby wipes, and a thermometer!
Next we'll go into the less common things we bring:
Boogie Wipes It seems like someone always a breakthrough runny nose right in time for our trips!
Boogie Antibacterial Hand Wipes We use these for surfaces like restaurant tables and hands right before a meal, or if we're arguing about washing hands - this is a great way to combat the tears and get it done quickly!
Simply Saline Nasal Mist and Saline Bullets The adults and children in our house all use this and we use the Saline Bullets for our travel nebulizer.
Nose Suction
If you have a little that doesn't know how to blow their nose, this is the nose suction to get! It's curved and tapered, so it fits just perfect in their tiny little nostrils. Link: https://www.walmart.com/ip/NeilMed-Naspira-Babies-Kids-Nasal-Oral-Aspirator-Kit-1-ea/513694269?classType=REGULAR&from=/search
Ofloxacin Ear Drops
Two of our 5 have ear tubes and you just never know if someone's going to pop up with an ear infection.
Bactine Max Pain Relieving Cleansing Spray We use this to clean any cuts or scrapes and contrary to beliefs, it does NOT sting!
Aquaphor Baby Healing Ointment
The youngest has eczema and is still in diapers, so we have one ointment to tackle it all.
A Travel Nebulizer We don't use inhaled medicines, just saline. This is a great way to break up mucous and use as a mini humidifier if your littles just so happen to start a cough while you're away from home.
Hello Bello Mineral Sunscreen Lotion Our smallest doesn't do well with certain lotions and things on her skin, so we chose a mineral sunscreen and we have not had one problem with it! Most of the time you won't need sunscreen in the Fall or Winter months, but I'll forget to put it back in the bag when it gets warmer. So it just stays! We as parents use this brand as well, so we normally keep one in the medicine bag and one in another bag in case we run out.
An OptiChamber and Albuterol Inhaler 4 of the 5 of our children are Asthmatics, so we always keep our puffers and chambers close by!
Dog Poop Bags
Whether a little needs to throw up, or you have a blow out in the car with your 3 month old, these are always a great option to have on hand!
Benedryl Cream
From random bug bites, to rashes, we’ve had to use this cream on more than one occasion while traveling!
An Adult and Child Pulse Oximeter
We have one child that has chronic lung issues and has been admitted for supplemental oxygen and medicine more than we'd like to count. So we did our research and found a travel children's pulse ox that has a grown child/adult attachment as well. During one of the admissions, we actually put this pulse ox on one hand while the hospital's was on the other and they were pretty spot on. This was such a great purchase for us and gives us such piece of mind to know when things are starting to go downhill. Link: https://www.amazon.com/dp/B0DCG12WYV?ref=cm_sw_r_cso_sms_apin_dp_N09Z1WJJ8S53110Z4V95&ref_=cm_sw_r_cso_sms_apin_dp_N09Z1WJJ8S53110Z4V95&social_share=cm_sw_r_cso_sms_apin_dp_N09Z1WJJ8S53110Z4V95&titleSource=true&th=1
A Stethescope
For our chronic lung issue babe and our asthmatics, it's a great way to ensure we know what's going on in their little lungs and treat them accordingly. For reference, we both have medical training, so we know what to listen for!
At the end of the day, packing for a trip as a mom isn’t really about being “extra” — it’s about being prepared. When you’re traveling with kids, every mile from home feels like another opportunity for someone to spike a fever, get carsick, break out in a rash, or suddenly develop a cough that didn’t exist 10 minutes ago. And honestly? That’s why we overpack. Not because I’m anxious or dramatic…okay maybe a little anxious, but we're moms.
Finding that old clear football stadium bag and turning it into our dedicated medicine kit has been one of my favorite accidental mom hacks. It’s big enough to hold everything, easy to grab when we’re running out the door, and durable enough to survive being tossed around in the trunk. It’s not fancy, but it works — and around here, function beats aesthetics every single time.
If you’re a chronic overpacker like us, or if you’ve ever been stuck on a trip wishing you had just one more medicine, trust me: make yourself a travel medicine bag. Use whatever you have — a makeup case, a tote, a stadium bag from 2021 — it doesn’t matter. What matters is having peace of mind.
Because when our kids aren’t feeling well, the last thing we should be doing is panicking.With a little preparation, a lot of love, and a bag full of “just in case,” we’re more than ready for wherever life — or the next family trip — takes us.
Here’s to packing smart, staying prepared, and surviving the chaos together.You’ve got this — and we’re right here with you.
Love,
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