The following is a guest post from regular contributor, Sharon at Mom of 6.
“Mom… my throat hurts…”
“Can I have a band-aid for my finger?”
“Cough…. cough…”
How often do we hear these things in the morning while we are preparing breakfast for the kids? (Umm… how about every single day!) At least twice during the course of a morning I was running up the steps to the second floor of our home to get something out of the medicine cabinet in our bathroom. Until it dawned on me…. why not create a mini-medicine cabinet right here in my kitchen that contains all of the basic items that we use so often?
I love easy ideas that quickly solve everyday problems!
I grabbed two containers- a plastic bin that we had in a basement closet as well as a shoe box, and just grouped items inside that I would like to be able to access easily while getting the kids ready for school:
Everyday Medicines
The first bin contains pain relievers (adult and kids), cough medicine, preventative allergy medication (adult and kids), and things to bandage boos-boos like band-aids, antiseptic spray and ointment. I also tossed an empty ice pack in the cabinet because it seems as if I am also icing sports injuries for my growing boys on a fairly regular basis!
Emergency Meds
In the shoebox I put together life-saving allergy meds that I need to be able to get to quickly in an emergency situation. This includes kids epi-pens (one of my sons has several food allergies), adult epi-pens (my husband keeps honeybees, and while none of us are allergic, we want to be prepared in case a guest in our home ventures too close to the hives, gets stung and has a previously undiscovered allergy!), and Benadryl- for lower-level reactions.
I also cut out and posted this Food Allergy Plan information (which I downloaded from FoodAllergy.org) that walks you through the symptoms of a food allergy and the recommended action plan (epi pen or Benadryl) based on those symptoms. It also reminds you specifically how to use the epi-pens. I have this posted right inside of the cabinet where I keep the medicine, so that even the older kids could inject their brother with the epi pen in an emergency if my husband and I were not home! (And really…. to help me too… because I will be freaking out inside if his reaction gets to this stage!)
All of the medicine containers are stored on the third shelf in the upper cabinet, which makes them accessible yet out of the way. And while my kids are old enough to know not to take any of these medications without permission, I wanted to make sure that any younger visitors to our home wouldn’t happen upon them in a lower cabinet.
Do you keep a second mini-medicine cabinet in easy reach?
If you get a chance, I hope you’ll stop by to see me at Momof6 – a place where I write about organizing your home, using a family calendar, creating household routines, hosting at-home birthday parties, and holding a DIY summer camp! You can also find me over on GreatFamilyRoadTrips– where I share ideas and itineraries to inspire you to hit the road!
hotrox says
I’ve done this for over 20 years, still have one, even with no kids at home. We keep vitamins and prescriptions that are taken daily, especially those in the morning (usually before or with breakfast). Warning for those who have kids taking ADHD and similar medications — once kids are of high school age and have friends over that you may not know so well (you don’t monitor visits as closely as when they are younger) consider a locking medicine box, even if kept in a bathroom. They have ones with combination locks so you don’t have to worry about losing a key. You would be amazed at things teens take that they think will get them high (has happened to me and several friends over the years).
Sharon at Momof6 says
You’ve made a great point…. and as my kids get older- I’ll keep this in mind!
Erik-Jan says
Good ideas. Here in the Netherlands you can get an epipen only on prescription, but I have one for insect allergies… Not to happy about those bees.
Btw… You do need to remember that an Epipen has an expiration date of about 2 years and since you hope to not use them, a reminder in your calendar to swap it for a fresh one might also be a good idea.
Sharon at Momof6 says
Epi pens are via prescription here as well. Both my son and my husband has allergies, and although my husband’s allergies do not normally require the need to carry an epi- his allergist thought it would be prudent to have an adult-epi dose on hand as well due to the honeybees, and therefore wrote us the script.
And not all epis expire in 2 years…. it actually depends on the type of pen (there are 3 different kinds of epis here in the US).
Tracy says
We keep all our medicine in the kitchen. Showering leaves the bathroom hot and steamy, which is bad for many medications. Plus our bathroom is too small to keep anything extra in there.
Tiffany says
I love this idea! I kind of keep one in my kitchen but its mailing a throw in random spots kinda deal. I will be organizing a full on mini medicine cabinet tomorrow! Thank you for the idea.
Cora says
I do. Have a second medicine cabinet that is. I never really set out to. It happened over time. Stodi g some extra excedrine in there…. band aids never hurt. Then the need for ointment arose. And the need for something else and so it happened.
Sally says
I’ve noticed that my granddaughter has done the same as you; the medicine cabinet in the kitchen. So handy with those little ones. I also wanted to add; my great granddaughter who was 7 at the time tripped on a sidewalk when we were coming out of a store. She wasn’t hurt badly, but did have a couple of scrapes. She said: “I know you don’t have a band aid do you?” I did! Then she remarked through those tears “All MeMaw’s should keep band aids in their purse”. It’s those little things that make me smile. 🙂
Barbi says
I have a vitamin/medicine drawer in the kitchen as a second spot.And yes, I keep a small amount of things in my suitcase, I mean purse. Mo st moms have to carry a lot!
Toodles, Barbi