A quick note – I’m not a doctor so please consult with your doctor first! After years of traveling with babies, toddlers, and now big kids, I’ve learned the hard way that when someone spikes a fever or scrapes a knee mid-trip, you do not want to be scrambling for a 24-hour pharmacy in an unfamiliar city. That’s why I never travel without our little red first aid kit—small enough to toss in our suitcase but stocked with the essentials that keep us covered for everything from sniffles to stomach aches.
We use this zip-up case as our base. It’s meant for building your own first aid kit (and comes empty), but I love it because it’s compact, holds everything without being bulky, and the compartments make it easy to find what you need quickly. Plus, it’s sturdy enough to survive being tossed into beach bags, diaper bags, and carry-ons.
Here’s what I keep inside:
- First Aid Case (pictured above)
- Infant acetaminophen – We use Genexa for cleaner ingredients.
- Kids acetaminophen – Also Genexa. I pack both chewables and liquid for flexibility.
- Kids Motrin – Great for fevers, teething, or post-vaccine aches.
- Kids Claritin – For allergy flare-ups or that random mystery rash.
- Hydrocortisone cream – For bug bites, eczema patches, and itchies.
- Babo Sensitive Diaper Cream – Gentle enough for baby, also works for chafing or irritation on older kids.
- Frida Snot Sucker – I still keep this in rotation for baby congestion.
- Rapid-read thermometers – the BEST one for kids and the BEST for baby. Splurge on the rapid read version as it can be hard to get an accurate read with squirmy kids!
- Saline spray – A must for flights, stuffy noses, or dry hotel air.
- Eye drops – Just in case someone gets something in their eye (or pink eye shows up—been there).
- Kleinfeld bug spray – Effective and cleaner ingredients than many others.
- Kids Advil tablets – A chewable option that’s great for older kids.
- Bandaids in multiple sizes – Bonus points for cute prints! (instant comfort). These are superior to any other! Bonus points for cute prints and they don’t fall off!
- Gauze pads + medical tape – For bigger scrapes or blisters.
- Neosporin – My go-to for cuts, scrapes, and the occasional rug burn.
- Extra medicine syringes + measuring cups – Because I always forget to pack the original one that came with the bottle.
- Needed electrolytes – These help so much when someone’s feeling off (heat, dehydration, or a bug).
I keep everything organized in categories—fever meds, skin care, stomach stuff, etc.—so I can find what I need quickly. And while I obviously hope we never have to dip into this pouch, it’s saved us more times than I can count, from bug bites on the beach to fevers in Florence.
I’ll update this kit depending on the season or where we’re headed, but the core stays the same. It gives me peace of mind knowing we’re ready for the small stuff, which—when you’re traveling with kids—is never really small in the moment.
Let me know if there’s anything you pack that I missed—I love hearing other moms’ go-to travel tricks!
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