First aid kit for a newborn: what should always be at hand

2023 Author: Alfred Shackley | [email protected]. Last modified: 2023-05-21 13:14

Before going to the hospital, expectant mothers prepare thoroughly. They buy clothes, furniture, products for high-quality and proper baby care. Do not forget about such an important thing as a first aid kit for newborns. Today it is easy to find ready-made first-aid kits on sale, but it is not a fact that the items in it are suitable for a particular child. Before you go to the pharmacy and put together your kit, you should clearly understand what should be in the first-aid kit for a newborn baby.

List of required contents of the first aid kit

All elements of a first-aid kit for a newborn can be divided into four groups:

• personal hygiene products for crumbs;
• antiseptic preparations that will be required to treat wounds and navel;
• drugs that can be used to provide first aid;
• various accessories that will come in handy when caring for babies.

Each group is worth considering separately.

Hygiene products

A home children's first aid kit includes a huge list of the essentials that a new person will need.

In principle, something may not be needed, but, as practice shows, all these things are needed:

• Baby soap. It is better to purchase a liquid version with a dispenser, since it is much more convenient for them to use both when bathing and with constant washing of the baby.
• To care for the delicate skin of the baby, you will need a high-quality baby cream.
• An ointment that has wound healing properties. Not a single newborn is immune from the appearance of diaper rash, scratches, dermatitis. There are a lot of such drugs, for example, Bepanten, Tsindol, Purelan and others.
• A powder that proves to be an effective remedy in the prevention of diaper rash.
• Sterilized vegetable oil for massage.
• For hygiene of the nose and ears, you will need cotton wool or flagella from it.
• Cotton swabs, which are better to buy special for children with restraints. They will be needed for any hygiene procedure.
• It would be nice to have cotton pads in stock.
• You will always need wet wipes.
• Baby shampoo without tears, which is required when bathing a newborn. Today, a lot of manufacturers offer similar products on sale. Still, it is worth giving preference to proven means that have positive reviews and are time-tested.

Medical instruments and accessories

For quality care, a first-aid kit for a newborn should contain a certain set of tools and useful accessories that you may always need:

• Children's scissors with rounded ends that will not hurt your baby when cutting nails.
• Nasal aspirator. Such an accessory should be at hand when a baby has a runny nose. Thanks to him, you can remove mucus from the nose of a newborn in a matter of seconds, which brings a lot of inconvenience to the baby, because the baby cannot blow his nose on its own.
• A water thermometer helps you set the bathing temperature as comfortable and accurate as possible.
• Thermometer. There may be several options here, since today there is a huge selection. Electronic thermometers are very durable and easy to use, but the traditional mercury version provides more accurate readings.
• Children's enema (for a baby, constipation is a common problem).
• Warmer for babies that helps relieve tummy pain.
• A gas outlet tube, which is used in case of sudden colic.
• Pipettes with rounded tip. It is best to purchase several of them and store them in individual cases.
• Bandages, both sterile and not.
• Napkins.
• You may need a syringe or dosing spoon to administer medications.
• Bathing mittens. They will be used as the first washcloth, and for this reason, you should choose them from the softest possible fabric.
• The first special comb that you need to comb out the crust on the head.

Disinfectants

A home first-aid kit for a newborn, the list of which is of impressive size, should also contain the funds that will be required to treat the baby's navel in the first days after discharge from the hospital. It is imperative to purchase:

• Bactericidal plaster.
• Medical alcohol or a product that can replace it during processing.
• Hydrogen peroxide, which is an excellent means for disinfecting not only the navel, but also any wound on the body of the baby and his parents.
• Iodine.
• Zelenka for treating wounds, in particular the navel. You can buy chlorophyllipt instead. It is worth noting that this remedy is also green, but does not cause a burning sensation during processing.
• Potassium permanganate, which may also be required for disinfection. A light, light pink solution in the first weeks of life is used to disinfect bathing water.
• Herbs for water treatments, such as chamomile or string. Their broth is very useful to add to the filled bath during the bathing of the baby.

Medications

Medicines must include a first-aid kit for a newborn, the list of medicines should be thought out with great care. And they should be given strictly according to the instructions and with the permission of the pediatrician who will observe the child.

List of medicines:

• Antipyretic drugs for a newborn, which contain paracetamol as the main active ingredient. They will be required when temperatures rise above 38 degrees. It is best to purchase medicines of this type in candles for the first time, they are easiest to use, and they act as quickly as possible.
• To eliminate allergic reactions, antihistamines should be purchased, for example, Telfas, Suprastin, Claritin, Tavegil.
• A remedy to combat intestinal colic, for example, Espumisan, Babotic, Smecta and others. Dill water or fennel tea received good reviews.
• Sorbent capsules.
• Preparations for constipation and diarrhea.
• Drops from the common cold, which have vasodilating properties.
• Furacilin. These tablets are dissolved in water and used to treat conjunctivitis.
• Interferon is used as a prophylactic agent during a flu epidemic.
• Gum gel, which has an analgesic effect and is used during teething.
• An aqueous solution of vitamin D, which will need to be given to newborns to prevent rickets.

This is how a list of medicines, tools and accessories should look like, which should contain a home first aid kit for a newborn.

Going to nature

Naturally, situations may arise when parents with a baby go on vacation to nature or the sea. It is not worth leaving home with a small child for a long time without a first aid kit. In such cases, a first aid kit for a newborn at sea must be supplemented with some more means.

Their minimum list:

• A sunscreen that is worth buying depending on the age of your baby. When buying, you should pay attention to the degree of protection against ultraviolet rays.
• Burn remedy. If, after exposure to the sun, the skin of the newborn turns red, then such a drug will be simply necessary.

It should be noted that the acquisition of such funds will be necessary not only for trips to the sea. A first aid kit for newborns in the summer must necessarily contain them in any case.