First and foremost, all you doting parents, remember to choose common travel medicines based on your child’s age, physical condition, past medication history, and other specific circumstances. Be sure to consult a doctor if necessary.
Fever-reducing medicine
Choose “paracetamol” or “ibuprofen” drops/suspensions according to the child’s age. Oh, and don’t forget to bring a thermometer—preferably a digital one.
Diarrhea medicine:
Oral rehydration salts (such as BaoYe), probiotics, and a few small packets of smectite powder.
Laxative medicine:
Speaking of this, it’s all tears. When Little Man Nv from Big Herb’s family went out at just over two years old, we absolutely had to bring glycerin suppositories. Fortunately, both parents are doctors, and every time we used a syringe + urinary catheter to fiddle around, which slightly reduced the pain. Remember to let the child eat more fruits and vegetables—developing regular bowel habits is very important. Bring some probiotics or prebiotics like fructooligosaccharides; glycerin suppositories are a last resort.
Eye drops:
Erythromycin eye ointment and ofloxacin eye drops. Whether for children or adults, if your eyes feel uncomfortable or there's yellow purulent discharge, you can use eye drops. For minor issues like nasal mucosal abrasions, eyelid skin boils, or small skin abscesses, you can apply the eye ointment in an emergency.
Also, when going to the seaside, lakeside, or highlands, remember to bring sunglasses for your child—the UV rays are very damaging to the eyes.
Antiallergic medicine:
Big Herb usually brings along a topical medication like Dermabate or Wuji Ointment, mainly to guard against contact allergies. For children prone to allergies, parents should pay extra attention to their diet first. If bringing medicine, you can select loratadine or cetirizine drops/syrups as backup, based on past medication experience and advice from doctors or pharmacists.
Topical anti-itch medicine:
Calamine lotion or menthol cream. Calamine lotion is suitable for babies of any age suffering from heat rash or itching from mosquito bites. Menthol cream is generally fine for children over two years old—no need to worry too much.
Minor injury treatment:
A small bottle of iodine cotton swabs, individually packaged sterile gauze, and breathable band-aids. Most minor injuries can be disinfected with iodine cotton swabs, then covered as needed with breathable band-aids or gauze. Remember, these are just for emergency wound protection and stopping bleeding—the best way to treat most minor injuries is to keep them dry and ventilated, not wrapped up. Keeping a band-aid on all day can actually lead to more infection.
Sun protection and mosquito repellent:
The American Academy of Pediatrics recommends that children under 6 months use physical methods like clothing coverage and umbrellas for sun protection, while children over 6 months can use sunscreen. Remember to choose purely physical sunscreens as much as possible. Zinc oxide (zinc oxide) and titanium dioxide (titanium dioxide) are the physical sun protection ingredients recommended by the American Academy of Pediatrics—just check the product instructions before buying.
Two reminders: 1. Don’t only use sunscreen in summer. When going to places like the seaside or highlands, even in winter there’s strong UV radiation, so it’s advised to bring it. 2. Don’t use sunscreen sprays on kids—they may inhale too many sunscreen ingredients, leading to allergies, respiratory illnesses, or asthma.
For mosquito repellents, please see this article: Precautions for Using Mosquito Repellents on Children.
Motion sickness medicine:
Personally, I suggest taking kids on more car rides—they’ll definitely get used to it. If the child really suffers, skip the car and take a plane or high-speed train instead. This medicine really isn’t anything good. But if you must, then go to the doctor to get Dimenhydrinate—it’s a prescription motion sickness medicine suitable for children over 6 years old and adults. Take it 30 minutes before departure, and for long trips you can take it every 6 hours, no more than 4 times a day—BUT, are you here to have fun, or to take medicine?!