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First Aid Kit Packing List for Family Travelers

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If you travel with kids, it’s inevitable that someone in the family is going to get hurt or sick at some point in your travels.  A basic first aid kit stocked with items like bandages and some medicines for common ailments is a travel necessity.  For family travelers, you likely aren’t going to need the heavy-duty kind of first aid supplies that back-country hikers will need (unless, of course, you are hiking with your kids in the back-country!).  But having the essentials is advised so you don’t have to make a midnight trip to the pharmacy in a strange city or new country.

Pushing Kids During Travel - Grand Canyon 1

Smiling through the scrapes at the Grand Canyon after an epic bike accident.

Disclosure: This post contains affiliate links.

Buy the Basics

I strongly recommend buying a basic first aid kit already made and then supplementing it with a few particulars your family uses.  Here are some of my favorites first aid kits you can purchase already made for travel.

Most BasicJohnson & Johnson Mini First Aid Kit ($1.50-4 depending on stores)

Johnson and Johnson First Aid Mini KitThis 12 piece mini kit is the size of the palm of your hand and has the basics for cuts and scrapes.  Since it is so small, I always travel with one no matter where I’m going.  You can often find them in the travel size section of Target and Walmart.

 

Step Up: Adventure Medical Adventure 2.0 First Aid Kit ($18.99)

Adventure Medical KitThis kit has a variety of items for wound care as well as basic medicines and survival tools.  Perfect for families going somewhere a little more exotic than grandma’s house.

Build-Your-Own First Aid Kit for Family Travelers

You can also build your own kit from scratch or supplement a basic kit with more specialized items your family needs.  Here’s my complete packing list for our family’s travel first aid kits.  Remember that travelers with young kids need to make sure to have the right kid-appropriate medicines and dosages on hand!

For Babies & Toddlers

  1. Infant pain relief (Infant Advil, Infant Tylenol)
  2. Baby Orajel or teething tablets
  3. Diaper cream (Desitin, etc.)

For Kids

  1. Children’s pain relief (Infant Advil, Infant Tylenol)
  2. Medicines for coughs & colds (Robitussin, Dimetapp, etc. – check age restrictions!)

General & Adult Items

  1. Bandages in a variety of sizes and shapes
  2. Hand sanitizer
  3. Alcohol wipes
  4. Antibiotic ointment (Neosporin)
  5. Itch cream (Benadryl cream)
  6. Moleskin
  7. Gauze pads
  8. Medical adhesive tape
  9. Pain relief medicine (Advil, Tylenol, etc.)
  10. Motion sickness medication (Dramamine, etc.)
  11. Pepto-Bismol
  12. Anti-diarrhea medication (Lomotil, Imodium, etc.)
  13. Allergy medicine (Sudafed, Benadryl)
  14. Cough drops
  15. Bug spray
  16. Sunscreen
  17. Chapstick with SPF protection
  18. Aloe vera gel
  19. Vaseline or Aquaphor
  20. Prescriptions (especially a general antibiotic if traveling abroad)
  21. Medical insurance cards
  22. Small scissors
  23. Tweezers
  24. Safety pins
  25. Pocket knife
  26. Thermometer
  27. Cotton swabs
  28. Cold packs (instant ones that activate without freezing)

First Aid Kit Packing List for Family Travelers

It’s Day 4 of Packing Week at Trips With Tykes!  Be sure not to miss the other posts in this series below:

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Sadie Gibbs

Friday 9th of October 2015

Very useful information. Thank you for sharing this post. First aid kit is one of the most important things that you should have when you are traveling. I hope don`t have to use it. Best regards!

Tuesday Travel Tip: Stock Up Your Medicine Cabinet Before Your Next Trip - Trips With Tykes

Wednesday 19th of August 2015

[…] point Balance Rewards bonus is good on quite a few products family travelers might need for a travel first-aid kit, including Advil, ThermaCare, Children’s Advil, Dimetapp, Robitussin, Emergen-C 30ct, […]

SURVIVALISTS BLOG | First Aid Kit Packing List for Family Travelers – Trips With Tykes

Tuesday 18th of August 2015

[…] If you travel with kids, it's inevitable that someone in the family is going to get hurt or sick at some point in your travels. A basic first aid kit stocked with items like bandages and some medicines for common ailments is a travel … Article by first aid kits – Google Blog Search. Read entire story here. […]