TheCG Posted September 4, 2012 Share Posted September 4, 2012 (edited) What should I have stored for kids? My stepkids will be 6 and 9 in November. I'm a bit late to the game, as I didn't really worry about what you can or can't give kids before marrying their dad. Is there anything in particular I should NOT use for them? I know I can adjust the dosage on some things, but have been going by the labels on everything so far. I know I should never give them aspirin, but am unsure on other things. What should I be storing specifically for them? Do I need to have stuff like Pedialyte stashed, or does something like Gatorade and Otter pops fulfill the same function? Our kitchen is gluten-free; what can we store that would be simple for them to eat when they're sick? We can keep crackers, they would just be sealed somewhere other than the kitchen. Is there any good source y'all recommend for info on kids? They are prone to respiratory crud (they're both allergic to dogs and cats, they have both at their mother's house, but she doesn't consistently give them allergy medicine). I plan to put in an email to their grandmother as well - they lived in her house for a while and she's an RN, so she'll probably have a few good ideas. Thanks for any help. This is a big hole in my knowledge right now. Edited September 4, 2012 by TheCG Quote Link to comment
wheezie Posted September 4, 2012 Share Posted September 4, 2012 (edited) I try to keep on hand: Ibuprofen (my kids hate Tylenol) Vicks VapoRub Children's mucinex/allergy meds benadryl hydrocortisone cream chicken noodle soup/crackers sprite Gatorade Vit C Zinc No aspirin (I know you know that ). My cousin died from Reye's syndrome, and it was heartbreaking. I was little at the time, but I can still see her sister kissing her cheek. *tears* (Sorry to go offtopic there.) Just think of things you'd like if you were sick-fuzzy pj's, popsicles, etc. I'm ALL about comfort. It won't take long before you figure them out. Edited September 4, 2012 by wheezie Quote Link to comment
out_of_the_ordinary Posted September 4, 2012 Share Posted September 4, 2012 (No kids here, but just thinking...) Jell-o mix (the name brand is gluten-free) ginger ale Is there a GF cracker or pretzel that you normally have? I know the GF pretzels are tasty; maybe keep those on hand. tissues with the lotion in them I'd just look at the cold med aisle at the grocery store. Get some kind of fever-reducer and cough/cold meds, but the ones for kids. Soup is good. If you don't can chicken soup yourself, maybe make some soup or stock and have that in the freezer. Instead of regular noodles, have rice handy. I think there is gluten-free chicken stock out there, but I've always made my own, so I've never checked into that. With keeping your kitchen gluten-free, I'd be hesitant to feed them gluten foods (cross-contamination with just them touching stuff). Quote Link to comment
TheCG Posted September 4, 2012 Author Share Posted September 4, 2012 (No kids here, but just thinking...) Jell-o mix (the name brand is gluten-free) ginger ale Is there a GF cracker or pretzel that you normally have? I know the GF pretzels are tasty; maybe keep those on hand. tissues with the lotion in them I'd just look at the cold med aisle at the grocery store. Get some kind of fever-reducer and cough/cold meds, but the ones for kids. Soup is good. If you don't can chicken soup yourself, maybe make some soup or stock and have that in the freezer. Instead of regular noodles, have rice handy. I think there is gluten-free chicken stock out there, but I've always made my own, so I've never checked into that. With keeping your kitchen gluten-free, I'd be hesitant to feed them gluten foods (cross-contamination with just them touching stuff). The cross-contamination issue might be why I've been having more health problems lately, especially when other people cook. Unfortunately, we can't afford to have everybody go GF just yet. I think I'm about to go through another kitchen crack-down - people are using my dishes for gluten-containing food, then not cleaning them all the way. That's about to end. I'm tired of scrubbing. Pacific's chicken broth is GF, as is the Central Market brand we can get at HEB (grocery store mostly in Texas). Neither has any MSG and there are low-sodium versions of both. I'm working on learning how to can. We have white rice - that tends to be what I've eaten when I'm sick (well, that and popcorn). Quote Link to comment
fishermanwife Posted September 4, 2012 Share Posted September 4, 2012 My kids were recently sick and you cant give many things to kids under 4 but I fould some stuff at walmart thats the Similisan brand its all natural ingrdients and they have different formulas like cold, flu, allergy, the one I got worked amazing for their coughs and runny noses and I was able to give it to my 2yr old which is great bc in the past all I was told was to spray stuff up his nose and we all know that doesnt go over well, Mucinex works good for my older ones but I think im going to stock up on these varieties and try them first. Quote Link to comment
CrabGrassAcres Posted September 6, 2012 Share Posted September 6, 2012 I'd recommend keeping different types of jam on hand to mix with meds to get down the kids. Also know the doses of meds that come in child and adult versions. Children's versions frequently have added ingredients that may cause allergic reactions and have a shorter shelf life as well as being more expensive. For instance, children's tylenol contains red dye which some children cannot tolerate. The dose is 160mg/tsp which is half an adult standard (not extra strength) tablet. You can crush half a tablet and mix with jam or 1/4 tablet for 80mg. Better to err on the side of less medicine since IMHO, most people overdose. I take 250mg tylenol for most things and I am a large woman. I've found that to be quite adequate and less stress on my liver. Be sure to give vitamin c to help detox whenever medicating anybody for anything. Quote Link to comment
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