My Essentials: The Medicine Cabinet

And now, to conclude my list of household essentials, a glimpse inside the medicine cabinet.

Our medicine cabinet is in our kitchen, and on the first two shelves of the cabinet, I put small white plastic storage boxes for sorting items by description: Cold/Flu, Tummy, Vitamins, First Aid, Pain Reliever, and Allergy. Like almost everything in my life, I have a lot of stuff in that cabinet, and this enables me to get at what I need quickly. I will stick to the two most interesting categories, Cold/Flu and First Aid. Here they are:

Cold/Flu:
Note: When my kids get sick, I stick to mostly natural, homeopathic remedies. I make an easy homemade chicken soup by adding a whole, organic chicken and a whole onion to a pot of water and then let it simmer on the stove for a while. The only essential seasoning is a little salt. I sometimes add chopped veggies, pasta, rice, whatever I have. And then, just before serving, some fresh squeezed lemon juice and maybe some grated cheese. I also give them raw honey with a little fresh lemon juice squeezed on top for a cough or sore throat. Here are my other essentials:
Hyland’s Sniffles & Sneezes Pellets
Boiron Coldcalm Pellets: My kids think these are candy, which is good and bad.

Yummy Earth Vitamin C Drops and Lollipops
Natra Bio Cold/Flu Relief Liquid: This comes with a handy glass dropper, and can be used for children as young as 4 months. It’s the only one I’ve found for babies that young. The rest start at 2 or even 3.
C-Phen Cough Syrup: For a really bad cough, it’s the only one my pediatrician recommends.

Boiron Chestal Honey Cough Syrup: My girls love the taste, and it’s all natural.
Olive Leaf Throat Spray: Soothes the tickles.
Boiron Oscillococcinum for Kids (and Adults): Proven to shorten the duration of a cold.
BabyRub: I apply this baby version of Vick’s VapoRub, to the chest, back and soles of feet (before slipping on socks). Unlike the adult version, this one is made in Europe of natural ingredients.

First Aid:

MiniFirstAid “I’m OK” set: We have the Pink Princess version, naturally. I think this is the cutest way to make a booboo all better. These bandaids, ice packs, and other essentials are staples at our house. I keep the little pocket pack in my purse.
Band-Aid Brand Hello Kitty Bandages: I should own stock in these. We go through so many!
Neosporin: The original and the best. The new spray-on version is even gentler and more sanitary.
Hyland’s Bumps and Bruises Ointment: This roll-on stick dispenses a safe, effective formula that helps bumbs and bruises to quickly heal. Indispensable!

Classy Kid Boo Boo Wash: This foam is gentle and effective for cleaning cuts and scrapes. I have Classy Kid’s entire boo-boo care kit (above) in my car.
Hello Kitty Plush Ice Pack: Eva is obsessed with this and uses it for everything. Perfect for soothing imaginary aches and pains as well as real ones. I am always having to hunt it down and stick it back in the freezer!