First Trip Abroad With PFB, What's Essential First Aid Wise?

[StopEatingThatMud]

So we're off to Egypt in November with DD who will be 18 months.

I've just booked an appointment with our nurse to discuss jabs and the receptionist casually dropped in "oh there's a risk of typhoid but your daughters too young to be vaccinated so....yeah...the nurse will talk to you about that". Ok, thanks, little bit more PFB than I would have been, DD having had meningitis 3 months ago and ending up in PICU. Trying to put off thinking about that bit until we see the actual nurse though and get some proper advice though.

It has however got me thinking, previously DP and I have just chucked some suncream and some clothes in a case and buggered off for a fortnight to the Dominican Republic, with some malaria tablets, bug spray and not a care in the world.

I guess being a "responsible" parent now I need to take first aid-y type bits. But what? I've never had to do this before! I know the nurse will advise on specific medical bits but wondered if anyone could give me tips on what's worth taking in their experience?

I'm thinking calpol, plasters, antiseptic wipes, underarm thermometer, dioralyte..... and what else?

I always take a good dose of antihistamines when I'm away from home, new foods and spices etc.

Ah thank you, I used the last of our bite cream the other day so will need to get some more of that too now you've reminded me!

You could use the mosquito repellant patches or bands so you don't have to worry about re-applying creams. Good travel insurance policy with relevant numbers stored in easily accessible place. You may want to take your own sheet and bedding for the travel cot. I have just come back from Bali where my 18 month old got terribly bitten by bed bugs all over his face and arms. It looks atrocious.
Travel sterilizing kit for your DC's drinking vessel?
Travel kettle for boiling water unless you know you'll get one in your room?
Lots of antiseptic hand gel.

Sorry these aren't really medical - I just thought I'd put them out there...

No, thank you Holly, that's exactly the sort of ideas I'm after and would forget to even think of!

We're going to the Sensatori in Sharm with Thompson and they claim the cot etc is Mothercare brand, but that's a good shout about taking a sheet. I think DD may still be fitting into her gro-bags by then so I wont rush to get her out of them before we go and will take a couple so she has something familiar.

Daft, daft, question, but if I take Milton tablets will I be ok to use them with tap water for sterilizing beakers/bottles? I guess I could boil it first? I should probably get on with convincing her to give up the bottles before bed and switch over to a cup shouldn't I!

Oh and I hope Ds's bites clear up soon and don't bother him too much!

Thank you so much for this thread - we're going away with our PFB next month and the sheet suggestion is excellent.

A lot of people say that European D&V medication is useless in Egypt. So I wouldn't bother with taking that.

Otherwise, Thermometer, Calpol/Nurofen, Band-aid and maybe something against scratches.

But the only thing you def. need is a good travel health insurance.

Do you need to be sterilising for an 18mo? I don't sterilise dc3's bottles and she's 9mo. I would just give them a good wash with some boiled water. Obv if this is in some way connected to the meningitis (poor you that sounds awful) then ignore me.

I don't actually know the answer to the sterilizing question as I did actually just wash my DS's cups in hot water and then put them in boiling water. But my SIL had a sterilizing kit as her baby was 10 months at the time. My DS went off his food in Bali and didn't seem 100% so I'm just feeling hyper careful about travel to a destination where you can't trust the water. Just thought I'd mention as something to consider! Sorry I can't help more on that front.

I spent quite a lot of time just looking at the selection on offer in the children's med section of Boots and then had a chat to the pharmacist. Our kit (bearing in mind we've only been to Europe) consists of:

calpol
thermometer
infant ibuprofen
piriton
insect repellent
baby bonjela
antiseptic spray
plasters
steri strips
gauze
scissors
teething granules
calamine lotion