Parenting Win of the Week: A Fully-Stocked Medicine Cabinet
It's more important than you think.
twomeows
Do you ever have those weeks where you are thrown for a loop and thank goodness that someone else is there to help?
That was this week for me. My son was stung by a wasp on his finger at school, and he came home in a little pain with a tiny bit of swelling. We iced it and called it a day.
The next morning, I noticed that the sting was a little more swollen and hurt him a bit. We iced it more, applied Benadryl cream, I emailed his teacher, and off he went to school. A few hours later, in the midst of a conference call, the school called to tell me his hand was very swollen and that I needed to come get him — he was definitely having an allergic reaction.
I ran to school to get him (in reality it wasn't as bad as the picture in my head) and I called the doctor on the way, although I knew in my gut that the answer was going to be Benadryl.
It was.
I always keep it on hand because I have weird allergic reactions myself. However, when I checked my medicine cabinet, we were out.
Thank goodness a friend and neighbor (who has a food allergy herself) had plenty on hand. Thankfully, it wasn't an anaphylactic situation (those usually occur within hours of a bite or sting), but it did remind me that unlike some of my other closets, the medicine cabinet should be checked often. I had enough Zyrtec, bandages, and Neosporin for the whole neighborhood, but I was without Benadryl.
All ended up being fine pretty much after the first dose, but it certainly made me think about having Benadryl on any trip we take or even keeping some chewables or liquid in my car.
Here's a good infographic from Cone Health that details out what you should have on hand in a medicine cabinet for children. Of course, consult your own pediatrician for more specific information.
Now, I am prepared and well-stocked for next time (but frequently check expiration dates because I have been in that situation too!), and hopefully, you will be too!
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