Tip: First Aid

It never fails that on any family trip that someone will get hurt.  From scraped knees, to bug bites, to sunburn, with kids you see it all.  When you are travelling, you also don't want to be carrying an ambulance full of medical supplies.

I like to limit my "kit" to what fits in a backpack, but keep in mind that includes my diaper bag, food, water, and other necessities.

Since we always need a band-aid or an aspirin, I've started carrying my own little medical bag.  I use an small cosmetics bag (which you can usually find at any discount or department store), which fits in one of the outer pockets of my backpack. 

Here are what I consider my essential supplies:

1. Hand Sanitizer: Trust me, when you have seen what kids will touch, you'll want some too, especially as bathrooms aren't so easy to find.  I recommend a small travel sized bottle, but carry a bigger bottle for refills (but leave that one in the car).

2.  Band-aids: So many times, I end up with one kid or another who has managed to trip and scrape a knee.  I carry a variety of sizes in a small sandwich sized ziploc bag. 

3.  Ointment: With cuts and scrapes in some not so sanitary places, it is a good idea to have some type of antibiotic ointment on hand.  I use a small spray  on version of Neosporin (you can find it at most drug or discount stores).

4.  Wet wipes: A mother's lifesaver.  I generally have about 6-8 of the single packs of these in my kit.  Helpful for messy meals or dirty knees.

5.  Sunscreen: I purchased a large container of kid rated (about 50 SPF) sunscreen that handily came with it's own travel sized container.  I put the travel sized one in my carry kit, and leave the big one in the car (or hotel).

6.  Baby/Grown-Up Tyelnol:  I always have a vial of baby rated liquid "tylenol" and a bottle of the grown up stuff, so any aches and pains can be readily attended to on the go.

7. Tissue:  Snotty noses always seem to abound on our travels, so I always make sure a full stocked travel pack of tissues is in my kit.

8.  Plastic shopping bag:  Hey, you may not always be able to find a garbage bin when you need.  Having one of these handy ensures those snotty tissues and messy wet wipes won't be in your pocket til you find one.

You can certainly add more items to your kit, or if you are like me, you'll have some other goodies stashed in your diaper bag!  It never hurts to be prepared :)