Parenting Tips: Essentials For Your Baby's Medicine Cabinet

A medicine cabinet is essential in every home, and new parents should note that the baby's needs are different than the rest of the family's. So whether you are handling fevers, bumps, and bruises, here are the essentials of an infant's medicine cabinet:

Thermometer: High-tech ear thermometers are less intrusive, but for infants, rectal reading still prove to be the most accurate. The good news is that the dangerous glass-and-mercury varieties are replaced with inexpensive digital rectal ones that could take baby's temperature in as fast as five seconds.

Humidifier: When the baby has a cough or cold, adding moisture in the air may help. New Parent recommends the cool-mist type because it is considered safer for children and are available at local retail stores.

Nasal aspirator: Babies need relief from stuffy nose, and since they can't really blow on a napkin yet, it is your job to use an aspirator to suck out mucus and solid matter. It might be uncomfortable, but it's necessary for the baby's health.

Bandages: Make sure you protect the baby's boo-boos by securing a bandage strip on them. However, these are a choking hazard so make sure you don't leave a child younger than 2 years old.

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Creams, lotions, and gels: From diaper rash cream, hydrocortisone cream, antibiotic ointment, petroleum jelly, and teething medicines, these things should be available at all times. Parents noted that these are necessary items in the medicine cabinet, especially considering how vulnerable babies are to diaper rashes, cuts and scrapes, and even eczema.

Pain-relief liquids: Most of the things you keep stocked in your own medicine cabinet are available in liquid and milder forms for children. Therefore, pain-relief liquids like acetaminophen, ibuprofen, decongestant, cough suppresants, simethicone, electrolyte solutions, and saline nasal drops should always be available in the baby medicine cabinet.

Finally, here's a bit of caution: make sure that all the items in the cabinet are new. Before giving your baby anything, make sure to take note of the expiry dates and replace the medicines when necessary to avoid poisoning.