How to Make a Travel First Aid Kit

We get a lot of travel questions in the Tanglewood Moms group. What’s the best stroller to take on a plane? How do I keep my kids occupied on a road trip? Earlier this month, group member Brittany Taylor posted about a travel first aid kit that she carries everywhere she goes, which is brilliant. She had been contacted by a mom hosting a party at Great Wolf Lodge that her daughter was attending and who needed help. We reached out to Brittany, and she graciously allowed us to share it!

I’ve been using this for 4.5 years to travel all over the country in a number of environments, including lots of camping and remote outdoors spaces away from cities, and we go through stuff in here like crazy, so my friend Dayna recommended I share this for ideas for other moms.

We used to collect a TON of extra bottles and meds at home because of the mindset “What are the odds that we’ll need this on the trip?” and we would then have to buy a new bottle whenever we got to a town. Eventually we started carrying everyyyything in their normal bulk form so we would stop collecting new meds and stuff at home, and it took up sooo much space in a massive suitcase when we prefer to be light packers.

Ended up making this several years ago, and it’s been super helpful. Travel sized stuff is more expensive so we just restock the old bottles where we can, then everything else is travel sized for space (like the wipes, lotions, etc.). Expiration dates are tracked from the bulk bottles in the bathroom cabinet, and the rest of the dates are on the actual creams and bottles in this kit (like hydrocortisone cream, Zyrtec, Claritin, etc.) Restocking those means just buying new containers.

We technically have more Ting and stuff, which is kept on hand for poison ivy/oak/etc., but that’s kept in our actual medic bag for space reasons, and I’m not going to bother listing that bag out since almost everything in there requires being a nurse and/or a physician to use (like sutures).

ANYWAYS, sharing this in case it gives some moms some space saving ideas when traveling with a family (or by yourselves).

I use a crafting organizer named Art Bin. Not even sure if they sell it anymore.

• Flonase
• Saline Nasal Spray
• Eye Drops
• TicTacs
• Miralax Powder
• Loperamide (Anti-diarrheal)
• Pepto-Bismol
• Transcend Glucose Gels
• Pedialyte and Liquid IV
• Dramamine
• 500 mg Tylenol
• 325 mg Tylenol
• Aleve
• Advil
• Narcan!! 3 OF THEM! (YOU DON’T HAVE TO BE A HEALTHCARE PROFESSIONAL JUST TO SAVE A LIFE IN THIS DRUG EPIDEMIC! Manufacturers of Narcan have even said the shelf life is “flexible,” and it’s good past its sell-by date, although ours is a long way from expiration)
• Cough Drops
• Tweezers and nail clippers
• Athlete’s Foot Cream
• Benadryl Relief Stick
• Lysol Travel Spray
• Recticare + finger condoms so your fingers don’t go numb (highest over-the-counter amount of lidocaine and works as a topical analgesic for things like shingles while pregnant)
• Mucinex DM
• Mucinex D
• Triple Antibiotic Ointment
• Children’s 5mg Claritin
• Adult Claritin
• Adult Zyrtec
• Children’s 12.5 mg Benadryl
• Adult 25 mg Benadryl
• leftover Prescription Zofran
• leftover Prescription Promethazine
• Cotton Balls
• Non-latex medium gloves
• Variety of bandaid sizes
• Alcohol Swabs
• Q-Tips
• Thermometer
• Wet Ones
• Clorox Wipes
• Tums
• Lint oller
• Listerine
• Refillable Floss
• Makeup Remover Wipes
• Hot Hands Feet and Hand Warmers
• Reef-Friendly Sunscreen
• Lotion
• Tide To-Go Sticks
• Wide-Tooth Comb
• Pen
• Small Scissors
• Hairbands/Scrunchies
• Kleenex Tissues
• First Aid Smelling Salts

** I would probably add uncoated aspirin to the list and something like Ting or similar. We keep those in our medic bag, which I didn’t list items in that bag but those of those would be helpful to have in the kit for people who are ONLY using that kit and don’t have a supplemental bag. The uncoated aspirin is crucial to thin the blood in the event of something like a myocardial infarction. Stuff like Ting helps with poison ivy/oak/etc. and irritation.