Stocking Your Medicine Cabinet For Baby/Toddler

From the day you bring your newborn home, you will want to have a well-stocked medicine cabinet just in case your baby needs your loving medical attention.  As your baby grows into a curious toddler, cuts, scrapes, bumps and bruises are more likely to happen.  You can print this list and bring it with you to your grocery store or pharmacy.  This is what you should have in your cabinet:

• Infant rectal thermometer
• Digital ear thermometer
• Infant's non-aspirin liquid pain reliever (acetaminophen or ibuprofen)
• Topical calamine lotion for insect bites
• Hydrocortisone cream (1/2 percent) - good for itchy, dry skin
• Diaper rash cream (look for one with Zinc Oxide in it)
• Rubbing alcohol to clean thermometers, tweezers, and scissors
• Petroleum jelly (for rectal thermometer and also good for diaper rash if you run out of cream)
• Tweezers for splinters and ticks
• A pair of sharp scissors (for cutting gauze)
• A pair of safety manicure scissors or baby nail clippers
• Child-safe sunscreen lotion
• Child-safe insect repellent
• Pediatrician-approved children's liquid decongestant
• Nasal aspirator bulb syringe for drawing mucus out of a stuffy nose
Hydrogen peroxide
Antibacterial ointment for cuts and scrapes
Adhesive bandage strips
• Gauze rolls (1/2 to 2 inches wide)
• Gauze pads (some each of 2x2 and 4x4 inches)
• Adhesive tape
• Sterilized cotton balls
• Cotton-tipped swabs
• Mild liquid soap (deodorant and antibacterial soaps may be too strong for baby's skin)
• Baby shampoo
• Baby moisturizing cream or lotion
• A medicine dropper, oral syringe, or calibrated cup or spoon for giving medicines
• A first aid manual
• If your child has a life-threatening allergy, always keep an epinephrine kit with you at all times.

Also you should have on hand (but not necessarily in the cabinet):

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THINGS TO AVOID

The following are medicines you should never give your infant:

• Aspirin
• Anti-nausea medications
• Adult medications
• Any medication that is prescribed for someone else other than that child
• Anything that is expired
• Chewables. For children under 3 years old this is a choking hazard.
• Extra acetaminophen.  Cold and cough medicines often contain acetaminophen, so do not give your baby/toddler extra pain relievers on top of that.  Always ask your pediatrician or pharmacist before giving medications if you are unsure.