Crucial Items for Your Baby Medicine Box

You have to be prepared with the right essentials for your baby medicine box BEFORE the arrival of your little one.

Trust us, there’s nothing worse than late night panicking when your baby won’t eat because they’re congested. Or maybe your child has a fever, is feeling miserable, and you need to treat it with medications.

Look through our list and make sure you’ve got all of these must-have items either on your registry or already purchased.

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Baby Medicine Box Essentials 

These are items you definitely want to have on hand for emergencies. Believe me, you won’t even want to wait the 15 minute drive to the store if your baby is in pain.

Pain Relief 

Infants Tylenol

There’s no debating between pain meds, Acetaminophen is the only safe analgesic option for infants. Trust me that between fevers and teething, you’ll need it at some point. So go ahead and make sure you have it in stock before baby arrives. 

Important note: when giving baby medicine for fever, remember to always dose by weight rather than age if possible! 

Mylicon Gas Relief Drops

If you have a gassy baby, Mylicon Drops are an absolute must. It contains Simethicone that breaks up the gas bubbles. 

Give it to baby after meals and before bedtime to help their gassy tummy.

Gripe Water

For baby’s upset stomach, you can also try Gripe Water which may help with soothing tummy pains, colic, fussiness, and hiccups. 

Gripe Water contains sodium bicarbonate and herbs and is generally considered safe for babies. Check your specific brand for age recommendations and dosing.

Windi The Gaspasser

Gas pains can be super uncomfortable for babies and when there’s a large amount of gas, those drops don’t cut it. Enter Windi The Gaspasser.

The Windi is inserted into baby’s bottom to instantly free stubborn gas and provide relief. Almost every baby suffers from severe gas pains at some point, so be sure to have these on hand for those long nights. 

Nail Care

Those newborn nails grow like wildfire! Be sure to have these products handy to smooth out those little daggers.

Little Martin’s Baby Nail Trimmer File with Light

These trimmers make the processing of cutting baby fingernails so much less nerve-wracking! It allows parents to gently trim baby’s nails with a spinning file. This particular model comes with a light to allow parents to clearly see what they are doing and the motor is very quiet so it can even be done while baby is sleeping! 

It’s really impossible to cut or pinch your baby with this. It also comes with extra pads in increasing coarseness levels to use as your child grows and their nails become harder.

Baby Nail Clippers

Clipping newborn nails can be nerve wracking, but I still prefer to use standard baby nail clippers. I would just use regular clippers, but the tiny size of the baby ones does make them easier to wield. 

My trick to nail clipping is to do it while baby is asleep.

Simba Baby Safety Nail Scissors

Some moms swear by nail scissors rather than traditional clippers (for infants all the way up to elementary-aged children!). 

For starters, they’re pretty much the one thing small enough to clip those teeny-tiny infant nails. They have a rounded edge so you can’t accidentally jab anyone. Finally, the design of the scissors is a lot more precise and controllable so the chances of clipping your baby/child is much lower. 

Fridababy NailFrida The S-Curved Nail Files

Despite having nail clipper, trimmer, and scissor options available – many parents are still apprehensive over cutting those razor-sharp, fast-growing newborn nails. The safest and least intrusive option? The nail file, and THIS ONE is the best and easiest to use. 

The s-curved design countours easily around little fingers and gets the job done more efficiently. Be sure to file on dry nails to prevent splitting.  

Thermometers

Read  When to Take Your Child to the ER for a Fever

All moms are there are some point – the time when baby feels warm and you need to check their temperature. Be prepared with the right tools to measure it accurately!

Rectal Thermometer for Babies

It may not be glamorous, but rectal thermometers are the only option for accurately assessing temperature in infants, so get yourself a good one. I really recommend this one because it is versatile (can be used oral/rectal/armpit), easy to use, and accurate.

Digital Ear Thermometer

An ear thermometer is a great tool to have for a variety of reasons – it’s a quick, relatively non-invasive, and accurate temperature measurement. 

The Braun Digital Ear ThermoScan is at the perfect balance of function and price. As an added bonus, ear thermometers are the most common method utilized by the pediatrician’s office. So they’ll be familiar and comfortable during their well visits. 

Exergen Temporal Thermometer

A forehead thermometer is great to get a quick and easy temperature. We have one like this and use it regularly if I’m concerned anyone is feeling warm. 

While you can’t beat the convenience, for my newborns I use this more as a screening tool. If I get a high temp and I need accuracy for a fever, I also pull out the rectal thermometer.

Congestion Care 

While there aren’t any true options for baby medicine for cold, here are a few important products that will provide your little one relief if they become stuffed up.

Little Remedies Sterile Saline Nasal Mist

Using saline is an awesome way to help your congested baby without using medication. Squirt some saline in their tiny nose to loosen that snot up. 

I find the spray a little easier to use than the drops with a wiggly baby. 

Then suck that nasty stuff out with either a bulb syringe like they probably gave you in the hospital or as I prefer, the NoseFrida…

Fridababy NoseFrida Nasal Aspirator

Yes, that snot-sucking thing you’ve heard about. While the NoseFrida does seem kind of gross at first glance. You literally suck the snot out of baby’s nose. 

Don’t worry, there is a filter to keep that snot from getting anywhere near your mouth. Make sure to stock up on extra filters!

One of the biggest benefits of the NoseFrida over the bulb syringe is the ease of cleaning since it comes apart to wash.

Vicks BabyRub Soothing Vapor Ointment

Vicks BabyRub is great when your congested baby (3 months and older) is having trouble sleeping. The baby version isn’t medicated, but it’s still a great tool for your baby medicine box because it’s still soothing and relaxing. 

Put it on baby’s feet and cover with footie pajamas at bedtime to give your sick little one a more restful sleep. I even like to use it on myself when I’m not feeling great. 

Boogie Wipes

These may seem crazy, but believe us when we say these are essential. Kids quickly learn to despise getting their noses wiped with conventional tissues and it becomes a battle every time. 

The boogie wipes are soft, easy to transport, and moistened so you can keep a clean nose that makes both mom and baby happy. 

Hair and Skin Care 

Whether your baby is born with hair or no hair (or maybe they’re born with hair and they lose it!), you’ll still need to care for their mane and scalp.

Safety 1st Cradle Cap Brush and Comb

This is the perfect product for that thin, wispy baby hair. It’s got handles to easily fit around an adult’s hand for comfort and the fine-toothed comb to clean baby’s hair. The scrubby brush part is to help loosen stubborn cradle cap flakes. 

Baby Brush Set of 3

What’s not to love about this brush and comb set? It includes a wooden comb, wet brush, as well as a soft brush made of goat hair. The brush is so gentle and comfy, there are days when it’s the only brush my daughter will let me use on her hair. 

Baby Bath Silicone Brush

These little scrubbies are AMAZING on baby’s dry skin and cradle cap. A true essential for your baby medicine box.

Aveeno Baby Daily Moisture Lotion

Aveeno Baby Daily Moisture Lotion is an outstanding go-to, every day lotion for before bed and after bath time.

It’s fragrance-free and perfectly gentle for baby.

This lotion’s consistency is the perfect mix of solid yet absorbent – so it moisturizes and provides protection from them drying out overnight.

Read about all of our favorite lotions in Newborn Baby Bath Products That You Need to Have

Triple Paste Medicated Ointment

Triple Paste is sometimes the only thing that can take care of really stubborn diaper rashes and a definite tool for your baby medicine box.

It’s thick and has a consistency almost like toothpaste (so it sticks to the fingers some).  This thickness dries out any excess moisture in the diaper area and is the next best thing to letting your child air-dry.

We have WAY more info on diaper rash creams in Diapering Essentials

Miscellaneous Baby Pharmacy Items

Newborn Scale

If you are a first-time mom and considering breastfeeding, I would strongly consider getting a newborn scale. Many moms get concerned about their baby’s breast milk intake. By simply weighing your body before and after a feeding, you can rest assured your baby is getting enough to eat. 

PreparaKit First Aid Kit

While it’s not for your medicine cabinet, but this is the perfect first aid kit for on the go as it fits easily in a diaper bag or purse.

Hopefully, your newborn won’t require any bandages, but let’s be honest, once babies become mobile, all bets are off and it’s best to just be prepared.

True Story: A random mom rescued me at the playground one day with this kit when my toddler scraped his foot. Playdate saved by a bandaid and sticker! 

Now I carry this kit as well and try to pay it forward to other moms in need. 

Baby Medicine Box Items to Skip

While there are a lot of good products out there – these are a few of the ones we’d recommend skipping.

Buzzy Mini

So we’re torn on this one. The idea behind the Buzzy is that it uses cold and vibration to minimize pain from injections and injuries. 

And the thing is… it works! It really works. Hold this on for a few minutes to numb your child’s arm/thigh before they receive their vaccinations and they won’t feel anything. 

But is that a good thing? On one hand, why wouldn’t you want to take injection pain away? On the other, it’s a natural part of life and we all survived it. We’ll let you decide on this one.

**Important note: these work GREAT for moms going through IVF who have to receive daily IM injections** 

Teething Medications with Benzocaine

The FDA has issued multiple warnings regarding teething products containing the anesthetic benzocaine. It has been linked to a rare, but very serious and potentially fatal, blood disorder known as Methemoglobinemia. 

Thankfully many of these products designed for infant use have been pulled off the shelves and at the very minimum their labels contain warnings. However it is still a product to be aware of and avoid.