The following is a guest post from regular contributor, Rachel at Useful Beautiful Home.
Not too long ago, Laura shared her Organized Traveling Pharmacy and I read with pure admiration. You see, I’m at a different stage in life where being prepared while traveling involves bulkier bottles of liquid medicines for children. I’m sure some of you can relate, so I thought you’d like to tour my traveling pharmacy equipped for younger children.
First, I must explain that our family travels by car almost always when we leave town for vacation or business. That said, I don’t have to worry about how many ounces of liquids I pack. However, for those who travel by air, I must direct you to higher authorities on the subject matter. I believe medicine/infant formula/etc. are “allowed” with authorized permission, but please verify for yourself by calling or reading TSA policies (like this one HERE).
Most medicine for children comes in 4 ounce liquid containers like these below.
They aren’t exactly the easiest to condense. In fact, medical professionals do NOT advise pouring liquid medication into smaller containers due to potential hazards, mislabeling, and other dangerous possibilities.
On the other hand, as Mom, I want to be prepared for those middle-of-the-night fevers or unexpected allergic reactions that happen during travels! So, I pack our most commonly used meds in an upright cosmetic case.
I searched around for one that was tall enough to hold all the taller bottles and I also wanted it to unzip at the top for convenient access. Additionally, it had to have enough room to hold all the clunky medicine bottles in one place. I found this plaid makeup case years ago at Walmart, but I know you can find them just about anywhere they sell traveling gear (usually in the cosmetic traveling section).
Inside, it holds everything from children’s medicine to my daily vitamins. I know it’s not nearly as pretty as inside Laura’s traveling pharmacy but there is organized logic to this bag. 😉
I want to mention that when I picked this cosmetic bag, I made sure it had somewhat of a shock-absorbant or padded exterior. I’ve been able to travel with my daughter’s glass bottle nasal spray during allergy season and never had a problem with it breaking. However, I usually pack the entire medicine case surrounded by soft clothing items inside my suitcase, just to be safe.
With the changing needs of children, I specifically didn’t want a compartmentalized case. This one has an open space that adapts to whatever medicine changes we experience from season to season. Different times of the year require different medications. For example, during summer travels I almost always have to use swimmers’ ear drops after my daughter goes swimming but in the winter I find myself packing extra breathing treatments for her nebulizer. Different bottle sizes during different seasons, but all are able to fit inside the same carrying case because of the single pocket style.
A few extra traveling “tips” to mention… for the dreaded stomach bug in small children, there are powdered versions of electrolytes (pictured above) you add to water if your child loses a lot of fluids while traveling. It’s much more compact than carrying whole liquid bottles of electrolyte replacers. It’s not necessary for everyone, but if your kiddo has a history of dehydration, this may be an easy thing to pack in your traveling pharmacy bag.
Also, I keep a simple thermometer inside a zip-top baggie along with individual alcohol wipes and the probe covers. The individual wipes don’t dry out and offer a quick clean in between uses.
This is so small, it tucks just about anywhere inside my traveling pharmacy. I actually keep this thermometer just for traveling and leave it right inside the case when we’re not on vacation.
Don’t forget the measuring cups and/or medicine syringes!
I keep the measuring cups on top of the bottles just as they come in the packages.
Like Laura, I also carry bandaids and ointment. However, my makeup bag turned into a traveling pharmacy doesn’t have built-in pockets. So, I keep those mini emergency aids together in a hard case made by Johnson & Johnson. You can find these cases pre-filled and sold in drug stores and pharmacy counters just about anywhere or just use another zip-top baggie.
As for our own adult medicines (pain relievers, vitamins, etc.), usually I have enough room to squeeze them in here too. It helps that adult medicine comes in compact little labeled bottles like these…
And are easy to squeeze into small spaces between the bottles of liquid, like below…
I happily found a vertical container for my daily vitamins HERE (*3 different sizes to choose from depending on how many pills fit inside). Each lid screws on rather than popping open like most weekly pill organizers, so things don’t accidentally open and spill while traveling.
This is as condensed and organized as I’ve been able to arrange children & adult medicines in one place for traveling. Although it doesn’t take up a large amount of space, I do look forward to one day downsizing to something pocket sized like Laura’s well organized traveling pharmacy.
Slowly I find us shedding the baby/child gear during family travels but am quick to remind myself not to wish these days away. For now, I’ll not only be prepared while traveling for the upcoming holidays but also happy to carry my mini pharmacy bag because I know this season of liquid children’s medicine will be gone all too quickly.
On a separate note: thank you to all the homeschool families who left comments and/or requests the last time I contributed here at OrgJunkie. Yes, I will be posting more homeschool organization in the future, roughly once a month as long as there is relevant material. So, please continue to comment and thank you for the feedback!
In the professional world, I’m a nurse by trade. But, around our house, I’m known as Mommy to our young daughter. My two worlds collided and began shaping into a blog. Useful Beautiful Home represents the hours I’ve dedicated to managing my household as efficiently as possible. I offer you motivation to keep your home healthy, organized, and welcoming. My goal is to share what I’ve implemented in my home to inspire you with fresh ideas and to encourage you to keep up the good work in yours! Learn more about me HERE or visit me at UsefulBeautifulHome.com.
Vallan says
How do you keep the bottles from spilling? I’ve found one of my son’s medicine bottles always spills or leaks with the pressure changes.
Laura Wittmann says
You can buy small ziploc type bags at the Dollarstore. I would maybe put it in something like that just to protect it.