5 must-have medicines if you’re travelling with children

Travelling with children might at first seem like a daunting task, but with the right medical tips, it can become easier. Here are the five most common medical issues faced by children while travelling and the treatments which can be given to remedy them helping you to enjoy your holidays to the fullest.

Coughing 

Children are prone to catching a cough as they travel to another area which has a different environment that they are not accustomed to. The most common causes of a cough when travelling are infections and allergies. With the change in climate, especially if you are travelling to another country can make children more prone to catching diseases. As you move from one area to another, a child’s body might not have the immunity to withstand the attack of a different infection alien to the immune system. For example, when travelling from Australia to the UK in December, you will experience a sudden change in the weather as you go from summer to winter hence making children more vulnerable to cold, flu and croup. Undergoing a change in the environment regarding air quality can also cause allergies thus causing irritation in the throat, watery eyes and runny nose. 

Coughing is good for the children as long as they are drinking, eating and breathing properly as it helps clear the chest from phlegm or mucus on the back of the throat. For children over the age of one, try the following remedy as recommended by the National Health Services UK:

•    Take a mug of boiled water

•    Squeeze half a lemon into it and add 1-2 teaspoons of honey 

•    Drink while still warm

 Alternatively, you may try cough syrups for children. An example is CalCough Children’s Syrup.

Sore Throat

A sore throat often comes in tandem with coughing. One of the most common causes of a sore throat in children is viral illnesses such as cold or flu. Long travelling hours, an exertion of the body and a sudden change in the atmospheric conditions make children more prone to catching viral infections. If a child’s throat is sore, you can give them paracetamol or ibuprofen* to reduce the pain and discomfort. Syrups for a sore throat such as Benylin Children’s Dry Cough and Sore Throat Syrup can also help relieve the pain. 

Vomiting

A significant reason behind vomiting while travelling is motion sickness. Many children experience motion sickness in planes, cars, trains or any other mode of transport when they travel long hours. Motion sickness can also get worse if you are travelling to a mountainous region and are going up the slope in circles. Under such circumstances, paracetamol might help relieve the child of some distress. Stugeron is suitable for children aged five years or over and mainly helps with travel sickness. 

If the vomiting lasts for more than two days, the child might be suffering from diarrhoea.

Diarrhoea

Atmospheric conditions and body exertion does not restrict its effects to a sore throat and coughing but can also cause diarrhoea in children. A significant cause of diarrhoea is the quality of food at the place you are travelling to. For instance, having street food in countries which have lax laws about hygiene may cause a reaction in your digestive system hence causing vomiting and hence diarrhoea. If your child catches the stomach bug, it is advisable that they have a healthy intake of fluids while avoiding fruit juice and fizzy drinks. Paracetamol can help in relieving the symptoms. Dioralyte helps replace the lost water and body salts.

Fever

 Fever presents itself when the body is fighting an infection. As the body fights an infection be it the flu, cold, sore throat, coughing, diarrhoea or vomiting, the body temperature rises hence causing fever. During an illness, the antiviral and anticancer interferon in the blood increases, therefore, allowing the body to fight viral and bacterial infections. Paracetamol and ibuprofen* are the safest medicines that can help your child deal with the fever. Additionally, give your child plenty of fluids and avoid covering them up with too many clothes.      

All the medicines mentioned in this article can be purchased in pharmacies and sometimes also in departmental stores. You can also buy medicines through online stores like Click Pharmacy. 

*Paracetamol cannot be given to children under two months old and ibuprofen cannot be given to children under three months old or under 5kgs of weight. Do not use both medicines at the same time unless prescribed by the doctor. Avoid giving ibuprofen to children with asthma.