The first aid kit you build before the first illness pays you back at 2am during the second one. The point is not to medicalise normal childhood — it's to avoid driving to a 24-hour pharmacy with a feverish toddler in pyjamas because you didn't have infant paracetamol in the house. Below is the actual shopping list, what each item is for, and the few things sold as "essential" that you can skip.
Healthbooq covers what can usually be managed at home and when an illness needs a clinician.
The Two Medicines That Matter Most
Infant paracetamol suspension — usually 120 mg/5 ml, sold as Calpol or supermarket equivalent. Suitable from 2 months, provided the baby weighs over 4 kg, was born after 37 weeks, and feeding well. Dose by weight, not age — the box has a chart but the rule of thumb is roughly 15 mg/kg every 4 to 6 hours, maximum 4 doses in 24 hours. For a 10 kg child that's 6 ml of the standard suspension.
Infant ibuprofen suspension — usually 100 mg/5 ml. Suitable from 3 months, provided the baby weighs over 5 kg. Roughly 5–10 mg/kg every 6 to 8 hours, maximum 3 doses in 24 hours, with food. Useful where paracetamol alone isn't enough — teething, ear infections, post-vaccination soreness — and stackable with paracetamol if needed (alternate every 3 to 4 hours rather than giving both at once).
When not to give ibuprofen: dehydration, vomiting, kidney problems, chickenpox (some evidence of soft-tissue complications), or known asthma flares with NSAIDs. When in doubt, paracetamol alone is fine.
A small but useful trick: write your child's current weight on a sticky note inside the lid of the kit. At 2am, with a hot, miserable child, you do not want to be hunting for the centile book or guessing.
The Oral Syringe Is Non-Negotiable
The plastic cup that comes free with infant paracetamol is a poor dosing tool — UK and US dosing-error studies have found that medicines measured by parents using these cups are commonly off by 20% or more in either direction. A 5 ml oral syringe (free from any pharmacy) is accurate to within a fraction of a millilitre, and a baby will accept medicine from a syringe aimed at the inside of the cheek much more reliably than from a cup or spoon.
Thermometer
A digital under-arm (axillary) thermometer is the simplest and most reliable choice across all ages, takes about 30 seconds, and costs around £6. Tympanic (in-ear) thermometers are fast but unreliable in babies under 3 months because the canal is too small. Forehead thermometers are convenient and OK as a screening tool. Avoid forehead strips — they are not reliable.
NICE guidance is clear: in a baby under 3 months, a temperature of 38°C or above is an emergency — call 111 or go to A&E the same day, regardless of how the baby seems. Above 3 months, fever alone is less alarming than how the child looks: feeding, alertness, breathing pattern, and skin colour matter more than the number.
Wound Care
A core kit:
- Plasters in 3 sizes — fingertip, knee, large
- Sterile gauze pads (5 cm x 5 cm) for pressure on cuts
- Microporous medical tape
- Saline pods (5–10 ml ampoules) for irrigating cuts and grit-out wounds — much more effective than dabbing with cotton wool
- Antiseptic spray suitable for children (Savlon-type) for grazes
- Blunt-ended scissors
- Tweezers for splinters and ticks (a fine-tipped pair, not eyebrow tweezers)
You don't need elastoplast bandages, butterfly stitches, or eye patches — these are A&E territory if needed.
Nose Care for Babies
- Saline nasal drops or spray — used 5 minutes before a feed, transforms a congested baby's ability to feed and sleep. The single most underrated item in this list.
- Nasal aspirator — a Nosefrida-style snotsucker with a filter is more effective than the rubber bulbs you get with newborn kits. The filter exists; you will not get snot in your mouth.
Other Useful Items
- Oral rehydration sachets (Dioralyte or supermarket equivalent) — plain water doesn't replace what a vomiting child loses. One 200 ml dose after each loose stool or vomit, sipped slowly.
- Antihistamine in age-appropriate formulation — Piriton (chlorphenamine) suspension from 1 year, or non-drowsy options from 2 years, for hives, insect bite swelling, and mild allergic reactions. An antihistamine does not treat anaphylaxis — that's an EpiPen and 999.
- Sterile eye wash pods for grit, soap, or shampoo in the eye.
- Cling film — for burns. Not optional. Lengthwise strips, never wrapped tight.
- Hydrocortisone 1% cream — small tube, useful for eczema flares and insect bite reactions; safe on most body areas in children, avoid the face unless directed.
What You Can Skip
Sold as essential, mostly not:
- Teething gels with lidocaine or salicylates — the MHRA advised against these for under-2s years ago. Cold teething rings or wet flannels work; the gel doesn't.
- Cough mixtures for under-6s — pulled from UK guidance for lack of effect and risk of overdose. Honey from age 1 is a safer bet.
- Antibiotic ointments without a prescription — antiseptic spray and clean water cover what they cover.
- Vapour rubs on babies — not for under-2s.
Storage
All medicines go in locked or above-1.5-metre storage. Child-resistant caps slow a curious toddler by about 30 seconds — they are a backup, not the safeguard. The kitchen cupboard above the kettle is fine. The bathroom is not — humidity degrades many medicines, and bathrooms are usually within reach of older children.
Refrigerated medicines (some antibiotics; certain probiotics) live in the fridge with a clear note of expiry on the label.
Emergency Information, Inside the Lid
Tape to the inside of the kit lid:
- The child's current weight (update at every well-child visit)
- Any allergies and regular medicines
- NHS 111 for non-emergency
- Local GP out-of-hours number
- Address of nearest urgent treatment centre and A&E
- For anaphylaxis or known severe allergies: a printed action plan from your allergy clinic
In a real moment of stress, you do not want to be searching your phone for any of these.
When the Kit Is Not Enough
Call 999 or take your child straight to A&E for: a fit (seizure) lasting more than 5 minutes; a baby under 3 months with fever ≥38°C; a non-blanching rash (a rash that doesn't fade when pressed with a glass); rapid or grunting breathing; severe drowsiness or floppiness; a swollen face/lips/tongue or breathing difficulty after a possible allergen; any suspected button battery or strong magnet swallowing; or any burn larger than the child's hand.
The kit handles the small things so that you have your wits about you for the big ones.
Key Takeaways
The kit you actually need fits in one shoebox-sized container. The non-negotiables: infant paracetamol (from 2 months / 4 kg), infant ibuprofen (from 3 months / 5 kg, with food, not in dehydration), a 5 ml oral syringe (the cup that comes in the box is unreliable), a digital thermometer, saline nasal drops, plasters in three sizes, sterile gauze, and a sachet pack of oral rehydration salts. Store it locked or above 1.5 m — child-resistant caps slow a determined toddler by about 30 seconds. Write the child's current weight on a sticky note inside the lid; it's the number you need at 2am.
