FAK thoughts/mods for kids

[Jamie]

Lots of the stuff in my FAKs works for people of all ages (and some of it is even useful for my dogs), but with children in the mix some of the (particularly internal) stuff needs to be changed/modified to enhance its utility...

FAK Mods: External Medicine

[img]http://t1.gstatic.com/images?q=tbn:ANd9GcRXNSPFHoSuDncWU2bAdNWvFFmwOngnbUqYlfH8f9EhV7QfLUs&t=1&usg=__N3sP1AgVGx5SSBd7mbNyUoXjVOw=[/img]]
Fun bandaids...pirates, Scooby-Doo, etc.

[img]http://t2.gstatic.com/images?q=tbn:ANd9GcT13yzG5eyJ31acYt4QPF-TuvmhGwHH2Acd1BudGCPLFWCCaRU&t=1&usg=__wd2m6EhynHsLsgTS6zPp_t-RTIg=[/img]]
Bactine spray can help you avoid touching injuries

[img]http://t2.gstatic.com/images?q=tbn:ANd9GcSkYJE8nmce6hu-In3svmF6KBG6lH0K6a0CxborlfJNp6JyRpg&t=1&usg=__PxWXk2GWFl3yQ--c-Gw3ESs_rr0=[/img]]
Colored tape can help camouflage excessive blood-flow,


FAK Mods: Internal Medicine

There are chewable/dissolving versions of the most important meds, and I generally have the following with me when out for more than an afternoon with Ben or other kids:

Pepto-bismol, gas-x, chewable tylenol & advil, cough drops, cold/cough strips, benadryl strips

I am not a doctor, so consult yours before giving any of this stuff to your child, but I've given all of the above to my 7 year old son without problem...

jamie

[yossarian]

Be careful, Pepto Bismol contains salicylates and can potentially contribute to Reyes Syndrome in children under 18. There are children's formulations available I believe

[Jamie]

Be careful, Pepto Bismol contains salicylates and can potentially contribute to Reyes Syndrome in children under 18. There are children's formulations available I believe

True dat...

here's a link for kids pepto - http://www.drugstore.com/products/prod. ... &catid=142

Jamie

[whisk.e.rebellion]

Be careful, Pepto Bismol contains salicylates and can potentially contribute to Reyes Syndrome in children under 18. There are children's formulations available I believe

From what I've read, the evidence that salicylates can lead to Reye's Syndrome are circumstantial -- at best. Better safe than sorry, though.

Back on-topic, I have a little "boo boo" kit like that for my three year old. I think she might almost be old enough to start carrying it with her without using up all the bandages as body decorations

[koolaidND]

I would add Pedilyte or elctrolite packets too. Children are prone to dehydration and these can help correct the inbalance.

[JT_of_JFF]

Make sure to have seperate instructions for infant/child CPR along with pediatric sized CPR masks, airways and bag ventilators.
http://www.bpmedicalsupplies.com/produc ... egoryId=55
http://www.bpmedicalsupplies.com/produc ... egoryId=11
http://www.bpmedicalsupplies.com/produc ... egoryId=11

For personal protection smaller nitrile gloves and smaller masks. Make sure you have smaller splints and thinner tapes.

Pack disposable medication syringes. 5 or 6ml work best.

Double if not triple boo-boo bandages. I redress wounds more with the kids than with adults. Kids also insist on bandaids for small things that adults shrugg off.

[Chantrea]

When my kids were too little to effectively blow their nose I stuck one of those snot-sucker bulb thingies in the kit. My kids (still) grub around in the dirt/bushes/trees so after spending lots of time fighting with the tweezers to get a little splinter out of a little finger/toe, I tried using one of the disposable lancets from my leftover GD supplies and it worked awesomely. Even the bigs in our family now use those to get out stubborn splinters. I don't know if I'd buy a pack exclusively for that purpose but if you have some around already because there is a diabetic in the family they're pretty handy and painless for that. I also used to keep a tube of oragel (topical oral anesthetic) in there. I didn't use it for teething, but both my daughter and I are prone to canker sores if we bite the insides of our cheeks and it's handy for pain relief for that too. I also keep liquid benadryl in the kit.

[Crazy Wolf]

...
[img]http://t1.gstatic.com/images?q=tbn:ANd9GcRXNSPFHoSuDncWU2bAdNWvFFmwOngnbUqYlfH8f9EhV7QfLUs&t=1&usg=__N3sP1AgVGx5SSBd7mbNyUoXjVOw=[/img]]
Fun bandaids...pirates, Scooby-Doo, etc...

I'd be careful with this, if they're *too* cool then they'll all be used up by the time you really need them I think as a supplement they're good, but keeping the ugly boring stuff around for more serious things should mean there's less chance of them being played with.

Oh, and Neosporin + Pain Relief is fantastic.

[txKingfisher]

Dont forget a toy to distract them while you are patching them up. (I dont really know this from personal experience, just regurgitating what I have read from several other ZS'ers)

If you dont have a toy or something interesting for them, a latex (or nitrile) glove inflated and made into a balloon will work, or a syringe and water makes a handy squirt gun (if you can spare the water).

[KnightoftheRoc]

I would add Pedilyte or elctrolite packets too. Children are prone to dehydration and these can help correct the inbalance.

A doctor told my friend, who was complaining about the cost of pedialyte for his daughter, that if he wasn't a doctor, he could tell him that GatorAde is a good, and much cheaper, replacement for pedialyte, and it certainly tastes better. He took it as a word to the wise, and it worked out well.

I try to keep some of the dry mix gatorade/sports drink stuff in my BOB, for just this sort of problem.

[Brother Bill]

I like this thread. Good info. Both my girls have FAKs they carry with them. My little one does always seem to be running out of bandaids so now she gets 2-3 kids prints and the rest regular. I also keep an extra handful just for her because with her even sticks get booboos.

[CoffeeGuy]

We have tossed out all the neosporin or polysporin! This was done on the advise of a couple Dermatologists up at Doernbecher Children's Hospital in Portland, OR. There is a chemical(s) in them that many people are allergic to and will have very bad reactions to it when applied to open cuts/scrapes. Even my Dermatologist up at the VA hospital said the same thing... "Get rid of the neosporin/polysporin and simply use plain vaseline instead."

In an emergency situation, I don't want to add to things by having one of us get a bad reaction. Plus there are many other good uses for vaseline instead - it's more versatile.

[roscoe]

Aanaphylaxis can be a serious issue for some kids, so I always bring the children's melt-in-your-mouth benedryl strips. They also make chewables. Although my kids have been stung be bees without issue, you never really know if a child will have an allergic reaction, so I always bring the benedryl. An over-the-counter primatene inhaler is the next step if the benedryl is not cutting it, and is the only over-the-counter epinephrine available.

[KnightoftheRoc]

We have tossed out all the neosporin or polysporin! This was done on the advise of a couple Dermatologists up at Doernbecher Children's Hospital in Portland, OR. There is a chemical(s) in them that many people are allergic to and will have very bad reactions to it when applied to open cuts/scrapes. Even my Dermatologist up at the VA hospital said the same thing... "Get rid of the neosporin/polysporin and simply use plain vaseline instead."

In an emergency situation, I don't want to add to things by having one of us get a bad reaction. Plus there are many other good uses for vaseline instead - it's more versatile.

When I started getting tattoos, I was told by the tattooist NOT to use vaseline on the now perforated skin, as it could cause blood poisoning- it IS a petroleum product, so it made sense to me. I'm surprised that he recommended using it. I'm not a doctor, so maybe I was given bad information, way back when. Still, interesting info on the ___sporin products, I'd never heard of anyone getting a reaction from them.
I'm thinking the plain old fashioned J&J First Aid Cream might be a good choice as a replacement. I have Neosporin in my FAK, but I've never had a problem with it- and I don't normally use the contents for anyone else, but I appreciate the warning.

@ roscoe- I did realize you COULD buy an OTC epenepherine, so thanks for that info. Being allergic to stings myself, I try to keep an up-to-date epi pen on hand, but that could be bad to use on a child, in more than one way. The inhaler is much friendlier than "hold still, I'm gonna stick you with this big ol' needle...", and let's face it- the kid is probably wound up enough already, right? And to a child, even an epi-pen is going to look like a shotgun barrel of a needle.

[ali_marea]

I would add Pedilyte or elctrolite packets too. Children are prone to dehydration and these can help correct the inbalance.

A doctor told my friend, who was complaining about the cost of pedialyte for his daughter, that if he wasn't a doctor, he could tell him that GatorAde is a good, and much cheaper, replacement for pedialyte, and it certainly tastes better. He took it as a word to the wise, and it worked out well.

I try to keep some of the dry mix gatorade/sports drink stuff in my BOB, for just this sort of problem.

I can verify this is not only true, but Gatorade tends to work better, IMO, than Pedialyte.

My kids' doctors (endocrinologists) have also said that regular soda is good too. It doesn't replace all that Gatorade does, so it isn't as good, but it replaces sugar and salt. Those are my kids' biggest issues. (they both have the same adrenal disorder and it's a salt-wasting problem...especially bad if there's throwing up or any other loss of fluids)

There are electrolyte strips that dissolve on the tongue, I found them at Walgreens. They're awesome. Another thing I like to keep in my FAK is glucose tablets and glucose gel. (found near the diabetic section of the pharmacy)

[TacAir]

I would add Pedilyte or elctrolite packets too. Children are prone to dehydration and these can help correct the inbalance.

A doctor told my friend, who was complaining about the cost of pedialyte for his daughter, that if he wasn't a doctor, he could tell him that GatorAde is a good, and much cheaper, replacement for pedialyte, and it certainly tastes better. He took it as a word to the wise, and it worked out well.

I try to keep some of the dry mix gatorade/sports drink stuff in my BOB, for just this sort of problem.

I can verify this is not only true, but Gatorade tends to work better, IMO, than Pedialyte.

My kids' doctors (endocrinologists) have also said that regular soda is good too. It doesn't replace all that Gatorade does, so it isn't as good, but it replaces sugar and salt. Those are my kids' biggest issues. (they both have the same adrenal disorder and it's a salt-wasting problem...especially bad if there's throwing up or any other loss of fluids)

There are electrolyte strips that dissolve on the tongue, I found them at Walgreens. They're awesome. Another thing I like to keep in my FAK is glucose tablets and glucose gel. (found near the diabetic section of the pharmacy)

"There are electrolyte strips that dissolve on the tongue, "

Is there a brand name or mfg/source? Please and thank you.

[ali_marea]

I would add Pedilyte or elctrolite packets too. Children are prone to dehydration and these can help correct the inbalance.

A doctor told my friend, who was complaining about the cost of pedialyte for his daughter, that if he wasn't a doctor, he could tell him that GatorAde is a good, and much cheaper, replacement for pedialyte, and it certainly tastes better. He took it as a word to the wise, and it worked out well.

I try to keep some of the dry mix gatorade/sports drink stuff in my BOB, for just this sort of problem.

I can verify this is not only true, but Gatorade tends to work better, IMO, than Pedialyte.

My kids' doctors (endocrinologists) have also said that regular soda is good too. It doesn't replace all that Gatorade does, so it isn't as good, but it replaces sugar and salt. Those are my kids' biggest issues. (they both have the same adrenal disorder and it's a salt-wasting problem...especially bad if there's throwing up or any other loss of fluids)

There are electrolyte strips that dissolve on the tongue, I found them at Walgreens. They're awesome. Another thing I like to keep in my FAK is glucose tablets and glucose gel. (found near the diabetic section of the pharmacy)

"There are electrolyte strips that dissolve on the tongue, "

Is there a brand name or mfg/source? Please and thank you.

It's Walgreens' store brand. I'll get some more info from the packaging as soon as I get home and post it!

Edited to Add: I don't see it on the Walgreen's site, so I'm wondering if they discontinued the product. I've gotten it within the past year, so it wasn't that long ago, but maybe it didn't do well in sales. I'll still check when I get home, though, and report back.

Edited to Add again: Ok, I just found some on the CVS site. They apparently have a store brand of the electrolyte strips as well. Flavor is grape. The electrolyte info is:

CVS Pediatric Electrolyte Strips provide (per 20 strips): Sodium (120 mg); Potassium (40 mg).

Obviously that doesn't resolve the need to replace fluids, but water is fine for that. My kids hate Pedialyte, so I'm always looking for alternatives.

[TacAir]

Is there a brand name or mfg/source? Please and thank you.

It's Walgreens' store brand. I'll get some more info from the packaging as soon as I get home and post it!

Edited to Add: I don't see it on the Walgreen's site, so I'm wondering if they discontinued the product. I've gotten it within the past year, so it wasn't that long ago, but maybe it didn't do well in sales. I'll still check when I get home, though, and report back.

Edited to Add again: Ok, I just found some on the CVS site. They apparently have a store brand of the electrolyte strips as well. Flavor is grape. The electrolyte info is:

CVS Pediatric Electrolyte Strips provide (per 20 strips): Sodium (120 mg); Potassium (40 mg).

Obviously that doesn't resolve the need to replace fluids, but water is fine for that. My kids hate Pedialyte, so I'm always looking for alternatives.[/quote]

Arigatou gozaimasu!

Going to add this product to my kit setm would seem to take less space than rehydration salt packs, likely taste much better.

[KnightoftheRoc]

I'm going to look for these, and compare what they can deliver per volume (in my pack) compared to the envelopes of powder I have now. An accidental tear of an envelope would not only waste a resource, but be a mess to clean up, too, where the strips wouldn't be near the same problem, I'm thinking. I wonder if Gatorade makes something like this? I haven't seen anything from them, but then, some products only make it to certain areas at first (market testing, I assume), so I might not be seeing out on shelves here, but that doesn't rule anything out completely.