One thing I never considered when buying our first home, was how often we would use our bathroom medicine cabinet and what families should have in it. When the children came along, our bathroom cabinet came along, those supplies of plasters and paracetamol were invaluable. But what else is useful to include? Here’s our guide to what families should have in the bathroom cabinet.
You will see from the image above that our bathroom medicine cabinet is rather full. I’ll let you into a secret – we actually have 3 places where we store our medicines! They seem to spread! Obviously out of reach for small children but as our children are mainly adults now, they are more than capable of reaching for their own medicines – Pity they aren’t old enough to always return them to the right place though!
Common ailments
These are the every day essentials for common ailments and illnesses. Pain relief, antihistamines, and digestive aids. For example, paracetamol and ibuprofen are essential for managing pain, fever, or discomfort from minor injuries.
We have a ready stream of Antihistamines for the pollen-heavy summer, backed up by antihistamine creams for when those bugs bite. Luckily we aren’t a family that suffers too much from tummy troubles but we are definitely a family that encounter heavy colds, so you will find your decongestant and nasal sprays in our bathroom cupboards.
The Oxford Online Pharmacy offers a range of prescription medication and healthcare products to help you stock your medicine cabinet. By maintaining a basic supply of these medications, you can quickly treat minor ailments without needing a pharmacy run, ensuring your family stays comfortable and healthy.
First Aid Supplies: The Basics
Every family has one child that gets injured the most? Yep, we’ve definitely got one. Thankfully nothing too severe but we always knew to stock up on antiseptic wipes, plasters, dressings and tape. Savlon antiseptic cream keeps many infections at bay too.
You will see from our bathroom cabinet that our essentials are strips of plasters rather than pre-cut – We’ve tried every shape and size over the years and find that fabric plaster strips are the best value for money but also most likely to to needed. Scraped knees come in all sizes. TIP: Children’s character plasters are also great for young children – they help to distract their attention from their injury but are also the best at staying on (whatever glue they use is fantastic!)
Don’t forget to incorporate tweezers and scissors to easily remove splinters or trim dressings. An instant cold pack can also be beneficial for reducing swelling from bumps or bruises.
I regularly check our first aid supplies for expiry dates and replace any items that may have been used or have gone out of date too.
Health Monitoring Devices
Keeping track of your family’s health is simpler with the right monitoring tools. A thermometer is indispensable for checking fevers, especially in children. We started off with those paper strips that you place on your baby’s forehead but soon realised that digital thermometers are much more accurate and reliable.
Having experienced raised blood pressure a couple of years ago and not being able to get hold of a 24 hour monitor from the doctor, we invested in our own blood pressure machine. We have been amazed how many people ask to use it, blood pressure monitoring is definitely a thing with the 40/50 year olds!
Natural Remedies and Supplements for Family Wellness
As we have got older, we realise the value in prevention rather than cure, so are constantly looking for vitamins and supplements to help us keep healthy and prevent illness. At the moment, I’m trying collagen for those achy joints with Cod Liver oil to keep up supple.
I had my gallbladder removed at the end of the year, so am learning to live with my new digestive system. So far, so good but I’ve been told to read more about probiotics to aid gut health too.
I’m sure as our family gets older, our medicine supplies will change – the need for children’s character plasters will wane and supplements may grow. As long as we keep healthy, I’ll be happy to keep that medicine cupboard well stocked though – wherever my daughters leave the paracetamol!
